In 2023, “Laura Lei” purchased 3450 Market Street, a small seven‑unit building where many of us have lived for well over a decade. Five units remain occupied; three of those families have been here for fifteen years or more. This building isn’t just a place we rent—it’s our home, our routines, our community. Shortly after the sale, the new owner began making abrupt changes that felt designed to unsettle long‑term tenants and disrupt the stability we’ve built here.

As we tried to make sense of this, we began to research “Laura Lei” – our landlord. What we found is that across several states, more than twenty people have been affected by the actions of the individual operating under the names Laura Lei / Ji J. Lian / Vanessa Oria / Zhao. What we’re experiencing here in San Francisco is not isolated; similar stories have surfaced in Indiana since 2010. If you know this person or are going through something that feels familiar, please reach out. No one should have to navigate this alone, and connecting with others has been one of the few steady sources of support during an incredibly difficult time. Our hope is simply to ensure that this business operation is held accountable in a fair and lawful way and most importantly we get to continue living here.

We’re also concerned about the political connections members of these LLCs is making. A business associate connected is interning for an Indiana Senator—almost certainly without the Senator’s awareness of the broader situation. This same individual was recently listed as the Manager and Registered Agent for a Florida entity called 105 UF TRUST LLC, which follows the same structural patterns we’ve seen across the network of trusts and LLCs tied to Laura. We believe it’s important for public officials to be aware when their offices may be used, even indirectly, to lend legitimacy to questionable business practices.

Some of the changes we faced almost immediately included:

• New Fees: A $35 “convenience fee” was added for paying rent by check. The only no‑fee options require electronic transfers, which not everyone is comfortable with.
• Reduced Services: The trash chute we relied on for years was sealed without notice, and garbage pickup was reduced. Our trash now sits in outdoor communal bins that overflow quickly, especially because neighboring buildings use them too.
• Loss of Included Services: Cable service—explicitly part of our lease—was removed and supposedly replaced with a streaming device that no one ever received. Comcast confirmed the service we lost is equivalent to a plan costing about $140 per month. We have a copy of the bill the owner was paying on behalf of each apartment (Covered in our rent). Document below.
• Privacy Concerns: Twelve surveillance cameras were installed around the property. When one of us was robbed and asked for footage, the owner refused to provide it. Instead of these being “Security” camera Laura Lei actually said, in front of the cops, these are SURVEILLENCE cameras. I’m not sure if she understood what the word means. For us to get a copy of the footage, she told us to take her to court.

For the past two and a half years, we’ve lived with the constant fear of eviction. I received my first notice barely a month after the building changed hands. The urgency to save our home became top priority. We reached out to everyone.. Even a private detective.

Our research has uncovered nearly a dozen aliases and a web of Trusts and LLCs connected to Laura Lei. We found a Fox News segment about a mobile home community in Zionsville, Indiana, where families were displaced under similar circumstances. We also learned about Lakeside Pointe at Nora, a property where the Indiana Attorney General intervened, resulting in the first lawsuit, where a fine of $350,000 for renting an unauthorized space. You can see a few pages by clicking above.

Thankfully, San Francisco has stronger tenant protections than many other states. With the help of the Rent Board and legal counsel, we’ve been able to challenge every eviction attempt so far. But the day‑to‑day reality is still difficult. One recent example: at 3:00 AM, the owner attempted to tow our vehicle from our assigned parking space—a space included in our lease and paid for every month—simply because we declined to provide additional personal documents after fifteen years of parking there without issue. There was no legal basis for this. It felt like another attempt to intimidate us.

We’re sharing our story because no one should feel isolated or powerless in their own home. If you’re experiencing something similar, please reach out. There is strength in community, and together we can make sure these issues are seen, understood, and addressed with the seriousness they deserve.

To show you how she operates, we identified AT LEAST 63+ Trusts/LLCs (Click for More)she created since 2010. She also uses various aliases making it harder to find this information:

We have meticulously documented a pattern of behavior dating back to 2006. She frequently opens and closes these entities to complicate any legal or public search of her property history. The strategy appears consistent: acquire properties with long-term tenants, initiate evictions through high-pressure tactics, perform renovations, and flip the properties for a significant profit. We have compiled extensive documentation to support these findings and are prepared to share this information with others affected by her enterprise to ensure she is held financially and legally accountable.

The owner listed for our building, named ‘Laura Lei,’ is highly sophisticated and appears to have a background in Real Estate Law. Based on our research, she is educated in both China and San Francisco, which she uses to her advantage. Her approach is relentless; she shows little regard for established legal processes or tenant empathy.

In my experience, she operates with an authoritarian style, disregarding both the law and common sense to enforce her own rules. She seems to bank on the idea that her way is the only way, frequently ignoring local regulations unless she fined.

We know there are others out there facing the same struggle. We have officially united with tenants in Indiana to share critical intelligence, as the owner is currently facing the 2nd legal action from the Attorney General so expect our information to update soon.