Dear San Franciscans,

When I moved to San Francisco from the South Bay, I loved the unique mix of people, cultures, tastes, and backgrounds in the city. I took a particular interest in the neighborhoods and buildings that brought everyone together, which prompted me to launch Veritas with the purchase of a six-unit apartment building in the Mission District. I lived in that building and the diversity among my neighbors was what first drew me to the city.

Veritas was founded on the philosophy that we would always put our residents first, and today that’s more important than ever. That’s why along the way we launched our Residents First initiative, or as we call it, R1. To meet our residents’ needs we hold ourselves to the highest standard of customer service and are committed to building trust, respect, and transparency. It’s what sets us apart from other apartment operators and it permeates every aspect of our business – from how we interact with people on a day-to-day basis to the way in which we support our communities.

Now entering our twelfth year, Veritas is committed to providing great places to live for San Franciscans, with apartment buildings in neighborhoods across the city. We are proud of our track record in providing the utmost care to our valued residents, to the homes in which they live, and to the buildings themselves. These buildings, which reflect the great diversity and character of the city we all love, range in size from four units to over 100, and we’ve restored many that are over a century old.

This is how we’re working to put residents first:

We stand by our Veritas values, and are proud to provide high-quality, rent-controlled homes for thousands of residents in this great city. And in turn, we want to thank the thousands of Veritas residents who have expressed their appreciation for the care we provide every day.

Sincerely,
Yat-Pang Au
CEO

New programs include elimination of owner’s recovery of operating & maintenance expenses, creating first-in-the-nation resident ombudsperson program and creating hundreds of new, rent-controlled homes

This week’s rumbles and the anniversary of the big 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake are timely reminders for earthquake preparedness, with these safety tips provided courtesy of our Red Cross partners. In an effort to enhance safety of its apartments from the prospect of earthquakes, Veritas is on its way to completing well over half the required soft-story retrofits set out by the City of San Francisco for all property owners.

In a city known for eclectic public art, work on one of San Francisco’s most ambitious pieces begins this week.

By the end of the year, Veritas’ 11-story apartment building at 455 Hyde Street will be adorned with pterodactyl-size murals of California’s famous — and fragile — monarch butterflies. The purpose is two-fold: to promote awareness and education of the declining monarch population and to make the elegant Hyde Street building look even more lovely.

The Migrating Mural project is the brainchild of Ink Dwell studio, founded by artist Jane Kim and Thayer Walker. Ink Dwell is known for its ambitious outdoor and oversized art projects that feature lifelike depictions of wildlife, but Hyde Street will be the largest of its kind and the first to wrap a building on three sides. The Monarch Migrating Mural, launched in 2017, now has butterfly-mural iterations in Florida, Utah and elsewhere.

Over the last 20 years US monarch populations have dropped more than 90 percent. The federal government is currently considering the monarch butterfly for endangered species status. Found throughout the country, monarch butterflies are famous for their multi-generational migrations from Canada to Mexico. Tracing the path of the monarch across North America, the Migrating Mural drives support for habitat conservation and restoration while beautifying public spaces with monumental art.

“Every schoolchild in California learns about the migration of the monarchs and the population decline,” said Yat-Pang Au, founder of Veritas, one of San Francisco’s premier apartment operators. “We thought this would be a magnificent way to underscore these stately butterflies and further enhance 455 Hyde Street as a world-class building.”

Said artist Jane Kim, “When I moved to San Francisco in 2003, I lived in the Tenderloin for four years, so it means the world to me to have the ability to brighten the neighborhood with Ink Dwell’s public art.”

Ink Dwell creates art that explores the wonders of the natural world. Merging classical techniques of science illustration with modern fine art, Ink Dwell creates public and private commissions, illustrations and exhibitions.

With work getting underway in coming days, passers-by will get to see the painters on lifts on the sides of the building and watch the progress of the murals. 

In addition, Ink Dwell is designing a monarch-themed archway for 455 Hyde’s exterior entryway.

Veritas is also exploring ways to complement the mural and extend the awareness of the monarch population decline, as well as protecting other pollinators in San Francisco. The company is pursuing initiatives with San Francisco Recreation & Parks as well as community and school groups to advance projects by the Xerces Society, whose core program focuses on habitat conservation and restoration, species conservation and protecting pollinators.

Veritas, San Francisco’s Premier Operator of Rent-Controlled Housing, works with Board of Supervisors to expand rent-relief program for most vulnerable residents citywide

SAN FRANCISCO — Veritas Investments today announced the launch of the Expedited Hardship Waiver Program, which immediately waives passthrough charges resulting from Operating & Maintenance expenses (O&M) as well as from Capital Improvements (Capex) and voter-approved bond initiatives for Veritas residents with a particular hardship or situation that makes such increases difficult or impossible to absorb. In addition to this new program, Veritas is also voluntarily waiving all accumulated O&M charges up until the Rent Board certification for petitions filed after December 11, 2017.

While San Francisco regulations allow owners who repair and improve their properties to seek increases to offset a minority portion of those costs, this new Veritas program waives that increase at Veritas properties citywide for those residents with a qualifying hardship.

The rollout of this new citywide program follows a smaller test with several Veritas properties within District 5 and District 3.

“As the largest operator in San Francisco, we understand our responsibility to our residents and communities. Veritas is committed to the well-being of our residents and especially to those who are most vulnerable in this tight housing market,” said Yat-Pang Au, CEO of Veritas Investments. “We recognize the potential impact these expenses might have on residents and we will continue to find ways to help residents who need additional support and preserve affordability in San Francisco.”

Residents who feel they cannot afford an O&M, CapEx, or bond related increase and may qualify for hardship exemption may first contact GreenTree to put a hold on any eligible charges. Next, the resident should file a hardship application with the Rent Board.

Even though passthrough expenses may cause rents to slightly increase, they do provide significant benefits for residents, ranging from urgent and required items like earthquake retrofits and life-safety repairs, to ongoing repairs such as water, electrical, infrastructure and general maintenance to revitalize and restore aging properties.

Residents for whom these increases pose an economic hardship should either reach out to GreenTree, Veritas’ property management operator, at 415.968.1806 or hardshipwaiver@greentreepmco.com to place a hold on any related charges. The waivers will be immediately granted, subject to later verification.

Over 11 years of Giving Back in San Francisco

The new hardship waiver program is the latest in a series of commitments Veritas has made to its residents and community. Recently, Veritas’ employees volunteered over 500 employee hours and collected more than 3,500 gallons of trash while working to clean up the Mission District. Veritas has also joined Pledge 1%, a national social impact initiative, in which the company gives back 1% of its time and resources, integrating philanthropy into its corporate DNA. As part of its Pledge 1% investment, Veritas’ employees will volunteer over 3,000 hours in the coming year to support causes and non-profits in the San Francisco Bay area and beyond.