Walla Walla veteran was ripped off by landlord
By Terry Murry on Friday, August 6th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – A Tacoma-based landlord and property management company, Sunrhys, LLC, has agreed to pay $16,616 for overcharging a veteran tenant in Walla Walla and fraudulently obtaining federal funds designed to provide housing for homeless veterans.
Between July 2019 and April 2020, Sunrhys was a participating landlord in the U.S. Housing and Urban Development VA Support Housing Program with respect to the company’s rental property in Walla Walla that was rented to Daniel Avila, an eligible veteran, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Washington.
HUD and United States Department for Veterans Affairs jointly administer the HUD-VASH program. HUD provides rental assistance for veterans experiencing homelessness, while VA support services assist homeless veterans in identifying, obtaining, and maintaining housing and other needed support services.
Sunrhys collected a portion of each month’s rent from Avila, then submitted a claim for federal rent support funds for the remainder of the total agreed-upon rent. Pursuant to the Housing Assistance Payment Agreement governing Sunrhys’ participation in the program, Sunrhys was expressly prohibited from seeking or collecting additional rent from Avila in excess of the eligible amount.
The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that Sunrhys violated the agreement and the HUD-VASH program requirements by fraudulently overcharging Mr. Avila for monthly rent between July 2019 and April 2020.This matter originated when Avila filed a complaint in February 2021. The DOJ is required to investigate such a complaint. Avila will receive $4,154 of the settlement.
