Coronavirus: 95-year-old woman threatened with eviction over socially distant chats with granddaughter

LOS ANGELES — A 95-year-old woman was threatened with eviction for excessive noise because of the socially distant conversations she has with her granddaughter from her second-floor balcony.

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Rozanna Handrich usually meets her grandmother Klara Kharkats around noon, Handrich on the sidewalk and Kharkats on the balcony above, KCAL reported.

“You can hear it in her voice, if she hasn’t seen anyone in awhile,” Handrich said. “It really hurts me to hear when she says she is lonely.”

Handrich started meeting her grandmother like this after the coronavirus pandemic began because the family was concerned it was too risky to continue seeing each other indoors.

“So it’s just her sitting in a room,” Handrich said. “I get sad just thinking about it because I can’t imagine what it’s like to just sit by yourself all day long.”

However, about a week ago, Kharkats, who has lived 20 years in her apartment, was given a notice from the complex manager.

“We have received complaints regarding excessive noise coming from your unit…Please have your guest come and visit inside your unit,” the letter read. “Continued violation of your lease ruled and regulations will result in further action which may include eviction.”

The family later got a reprieve from the management company.

“We regret the tone of the notice our manager sent to Ms. Kharats, which was taken from a form letter we send to tenants with chronic noise issues. We have sent a rescission notice to her this morning and apologize for the misunderstanding,” said Sarah Furchtenicht, vice president of GK Management. “The notice, which was prompted by complaints from other tenants, should have been more sensitive and spelled out the solution more clearly. We encourage family members to continue visiting their grandmother while maintaining CDC guidelines of wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Her health and theirs will be preserved by following those recommendations. In this case, we encourage the family to use their cell phones instead of yelling from the sidewalk. "

Handrich has continued to visit Kharkats.

Cox Media Group