State sues owner of 10,000 residential units in Inland Empire

Attorney General Rob Bonta filed suit June 12 against a family that owns 3,243 residential properties, or 9,930 individual units, in the Inland Empire. After a three-year investigation, Bonta claims the Nijjar family’s companies violated multiple California laws by subjecting tenants to unsafe units, discriminating against Section 8 housing vouchers, overcharging for rent, and deceiving tenants about their legal rights.

Inland Empire Law Weekly reached out to Swaranjit “Mike” Nijjar’s attorney for comment and has not heard back.

“PAMA and the companies owned by Mike Nijjar and his family are notorious for their rampant, slum-like conditions — some so bad that residents have suffered tragic results. Our investigation into Nijjar’s properties revealed PAMA exploited vulnerable families, refusing to invest the resources needed to eradicate pest infestations, fix outdated roofs, and install functioning plumbing systems, all while deceiving tenants about their rights to sue their landlord and demand repairs,” said Attorney General Bonta.

The family owns multiple companies. Legacy Management, Pro Management, Bridge Management and Hightower Management rent houses in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, according to Bonta’s complaint.

“In some areas, like the towns of Hemet and San Jacinto in Riverside County, the Nijjar Companies hold such a substantial percentage of the no-frills housing stock that tenants report having difficulty finding a rental that the Companies do not own or manage,” the complaint says.

The companies own 1,307 properties in the city of San Bernardino, 488 properties in Hemet, 238 in San Jacinto, 171 in the city of Riverside, 127 in Moreno Valley, 106 in Rialto, and more throughout San Bernardino and Riverside counties, according to Bonta’s complaint. A full list of their properties in the Inland Empire, according to the complaint, are available here. They own 4,700 properties with 22,000 rental units throughout California.

“At their superiors’ direction, employees refuse to rent to voucher holders, including by falsely telling them that rental units are not available or that there is a “waiting list” for applicants with Section 8 vouchers,” Bonta’s complaint claims.

The leases used by the companies claim to require tenants to waive rights guaranteed by law, including the right to sue their landlord, make repairs that the landlord neglected, and to have the landlord care for the property, the complaint continued. The companies actively market to Spanish-speaking communities—but do not provide copies of the lease in Spanish, the complaint continued. Bonta also charges the family with illegally conducting real estate activities without using a licensed broker and not complying with mandatory notice requirements before evicting.

Nijjar was sued by the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County on claims of housing discrimination in 2021. The FHCRC’s client, James Beasley, was looking to rent an apartment. He was shown one of Nijjar’s in Hemet—but the carpet was soiled and the apartment needed to be cleaned. Beasley asked Nijjar’s agent to fix it, and later overheard the agent tell a companion, “This is why I don’t like renting to n—; they are always complaining.” The agent later told Beasley that the apartment was unavailable—but told Beasley’s friend that it was open. Instead, she directed Beasley to an apartment that Beasley knew to be in a high crime area.

“Since 2014, the Fair Housing Council has received hundreds of complaints about the condition and management of rental dwellings controlled by Nijjar,” the complaint said. The case was settled in 2023.

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