“Selling Sunset” star works to boot tenants from rent-controlled homes

The tenants’ first landlord set fire to their rent-controlled homes to force them out for redevelopment. Now reality TV home flipper Tarek El Moussa is working to evict them.

El Moussa, co-host of “The Flipping El Moussas” on HGTV, is working to boot the last five tenants from homes between 1043-11103 West Hartsook Street in North Hollywood, the Los Angeles Times reported. 

The outgoing landlord, Arthur Aslanian, was convicted last month of plotting two murders for hire, and arson. 

The North Hollywood property involved in the arson conviction includes three lots located in the 11000 block of Hartsook Street, just east of Lankershim Boulevard in the booming NoHo Arts District.

The property is home to 10 bungalows, five dingbat apartments, a single-family home and 6-foot-tall weeds growing next to the burned-out structures. 

Tenants at the property have filed a civil lawsuit against Aslanian, alleging assault and negligence to drive renters from the building.

Aslanian was found guilty of three charges related to the fire lit to displace tenants and allow the demolition of the building and construction of a 138-unit apartment complex.

Then along came Tarek El Moussa and his wife Heather, a co-star on “The Flipping El Moussas” and a cast  member on Netflix’s “Selling Sunset.” They are part of a development group called NoHo 138 that took over the project earlier this year.

In a presentation to investors, the El Moussas projected that after five years they could sell the apartment complex for $26 million more than what it would cost to acquire the property and build the development. 

The new development team includes the El Moussas, through the company TEM Capital; Grant Keene of WJK Development; and Shahar Kalev of Pyramid Development. The team is in escrow to buy the property from Aslanian for $9 million.

In a video posted to YouTube in May, Tarek El Moussa, whose first real estate reality show was dubbed “Flip or Flop,” stood outside the property touting it as “my biggest flip ever.”

“I am more excited about this thing than anything I’ve ever done in my life,” El Moussa said.

On Instagram last month, he posted a video of himself strolling a street in North Hollywood to tell his 1.3 million followers about his big plans — developing a “super cool, super modern” 138-unit apartment complex with a rooftop pool.

“We got so lucky to find this land,” El Moussa declared. “Because finding land like this in North Hollywood, it’s literally impossible.”

What he left out was the eviction of the longtime tenants, some of whom have lived in the rent-controlled units for decades.

Eda Kalkay, a PR agent who represents the El Moussas, said they recognize the property owner is involved in “several serious legal matters” but that the couple and other development partners will have no affiliation with them once the sale of the property is complete.

“The goal is to work closely and respectfully with the current tenants by providing proper move-out compensation and constructing a safe and pristine new apartment complex that will also include 14 low-income units,” she said in an emailed statement to the Times.

She said other development partners plan to continue reaching out to the tenants and their attorney tonegotiate their departure.

“As just one of the partners that make up NoHo 138, Tarek’s role is to work on other areas of this deal, but the appropriate people managing this area intend to meet with all tenants,” Kalkay said.

— Dana Bartholomew

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