Tarek El Moussa and his wife Heather Rae El Moussa had smiles on their faces as they worked on the second season of their HGTV series The Flipping El Moussas.
The couple were spotted filming outside a home in Cerritos, California on Wednesday.
Heather, 35, punched a co-worker as she stood outside on the curb with her grinning husband watching.
The El Moussas managed to appear happy despite being embroiled in controversy over their plans to build an apartment building in North Hollywood that would displace many renters already living locally in rent-controlled bungalows.
Residents have been threatened with eviction notices but are resisting pressure to move.
What controversy? Tarek El Moussa and his wife Heather Rae El Moussa had smiles on their faces as they began work on the second season of their HGTV series The Flipping El Moussas after a controversy erupted over a North Hollywood apartment that they wanted to build
The pair managed to hide any concerns about the argument while filming the latest installment of their HGTV series together.
Heather, who also stars in the hit Netflix show Selling Sunset, looked in high spirits when she arrived on set in stylish ripped jeans, a blue tank top and trainers.
She carried a tote bag over one arm, a soda bottle, and a giant white Stanley Cup water bottle.
Her husband wore his usual hat, sunglasses, fitted black shirt, trousers and plaid sneakers.
This comes after the angry residents at the center of the controversy spoke to and revealed they have no plans to move out of their rent-controlled homes in North Hollywood without a fight.
In a project hailed as his “biggest flip of all time,” real estate magnate Tarek will replace his forest-green, ramshackle bungalows on Los Angeles’ Hartsook Street with a towering white 138-unit apartment block with a rooftop pool.
The tenants – including two disabled residents, an expectant couple and a 78-year-old woman who has lived there for decades – have told “we’re not going anywhere” until they are “treated fairly” and given more than they can afford a pittance.
Their homes in the Arts District featured in the background of El Moussa’s jubilant promotional video as he announced plans to replace them with the new apartment complex.
The project, which is expected to generate $26 million in profits, involves El Moussa’s investment firm TEM Capital, his wife Heather Rae’s firm HEM Capital and two separate firms – Pyramid Development Group and WJK Development Co.
Summer style: Heather, who also stars in hit Netflix show Selling Sunset, looked in high spirits as she arrived on set in stylish ripped jeans, a blue tank top and trainers
Everything is good! The Selling Sunset star shared a fist with a colleague while her grinning husband looked on
Affected are five tenants from three households who have already suffered significant trauma after their former “insane psychotic slumlord arsonist landlord” Arthur Aslanian attempted to burn down vacant bungalows on the same property where they slept.
They said that “90%” of their neighbors fled the country amid Aslanian’s “reign of terror,” leading to his being convicted in federal court of hiring someone to burn down the buildings — as well as a separate murder for hire.
Residents told they felt El Moussa Aslanian’s attempt to demolish their homes and make way for an “ugly” white block that would make more money for landowners is now “finished”.
The resident tenants, aged 32 to 78 who have stayed there in appalling circumstances, say they will not be easily evicted and are determined to oppose the development, dubbed NoHo 138.
The youngest – Clare Letmon, a project manager for environmental nonprofit VerdeXchange – moved to the neighborhood from Florida with her husband, film director Jonpaul Rodriguez, 35, in January 2019 in hopes of raising a family there.
Now five months pregnant with their first child, Letmon is one of five Hartsooks facing eviction notices under the Ellis Act, which give them 120 days’ notice and an offer of $12,000 in compensation per household.
Reality TV stars El Moussas told investors in a presentation that they could sell NoHo 138 for $26 million, more than it would cost to purchase the land and build the community, according to local residents and the Los Angeles Times .
“We found this place and it was a dream,” Letmon told the Mail.
El Moussa described his vision for the new block (pictured) as “super modern,” “amazing building,” adding, “This is a Hollywood man, everyone wants to live here.”
In a project hailed as his “biggest flip of all time,” the 41-year-old real estate magnate will replace his forest-green bungalows (pictured) on Hartsook Street in Los Angeles with a towering white 138-unit apartment block with a rooftop pool
“It’s a 1925 bungalow farm – we can walk to the train to go to work and to the grocery store.”
“But as the pandemic progressed, when we were all here and getting to know our neighbors really well, that’s when the terror campaign really started, from (Aslanian).
“When we were served with those Ellis Act eviction notices on the first day of his federal trial, it was a slap in the face.”
“We had just heard in the courtroom that this man literally paid someone to set our house on fire while we slept inside and they are just going ahead with the project.”
“We think this team is just picking up where Arthur left off – finishing the job.”
Letmon added that while the new developers would have “nothing to do with Aslanian’s violence,” they will “benefit immensely from everything he has done very illegally to clear these houses and put them in the condition they are in Tarek can be seen on camera doing commercials.”
She said the homes were in “pristine condition” and “fully occupied” when she moved in, and the dilapidated state many are in now was due to Aslanian’s attempts to burn and demolish them.
Residents weren’t offered a place in El Moussa’s proposed new building, although Letmon said they “don’t want to be crammed into these tiny units anyway.”
Referring to Aslanian, she said, “This guy is a monster, we don’t want to move into his building.”
“As expectant parents, we want a place with a dishwasher, a washer and a dryer — no constant threats from a crazed, psychotic slumlord, arsonist, and landlord.”
“Tenants demand home security and honest security.”
The reality TV stars have been documenting their glamorous lifestyle on social media, regularly posting pictures of their frequent vacations, moving houses and fitness routines on Instagram and Twitter
Letmon said she hopes the El Moussa family, who host HGTV real estate show The Flipping El Moussas, would be more understanding of their situation as new parents by February this year.
“I would hope that since Tarek and Heather like to use their status as new parents in their public role, they would understand why they got an eviction notice on day one of your crime landlord’s murder-for-hire trial after seeing ‘This guy sneaking.’ around the property shooting commercials,” she said.
In an Instagram post defending his project, El Moussa said, “I’m not evicting anyone,” adding, “Notices to current tenants were served by the current owner, not me or the NoHo 138 affiliates.”
Letmon denied this, saying: “Tarek may not have served the papers himself, but he is involved in a process where the outcome is.”
“He tells investors in these promotional videos, ‘Oh, we bought this property,’ they pose as the owners, but when it comes to who is serving the eviction owners, ‘Oh, we’re not the owners,'” she said .
“If that’s the case, why not ask the current owner to drop the eviction notices and we will deal in good faith without an eviction notice coming over our heads?”
Letmon said the $12,000 in compensation was the “minimum required by law.” “It’s not an offer, it’s an insult,” she said.
El Moussa, best known for co-hosting the HGTV show “Flip or Flop” with his ex-wife Christina Hall, pitched his venture in an Instagram video he shot while wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket strolled through the NoHo Arts District.
“I’m right here in North Hollywood, California,” a beaming El-Moussa told his 1.3 million followers.
“I was just checking out the latest project for TEM Capital and, man, am I just so excited about this thing.”
“You know, I’ve been remodeling houses for a long time, and this project is hands down the biggest remodeling I’ve ever done.”
“So I just walked around the site and saw that we’re going to be building 138 residential units in the heart of North Hollywood.”
El Moussa married 35-year-old reality TV star Heather Rae in October 2021 and they welcomed their son Tristan in February of this year
The couple also welcomed their first child together in February this year, as announced in an adorable Instagram post they shared with their combined 4.4 million followers. Letmon said she hopes that as new parents, they’ll be more understanding of her situation
“It’s super cool, super modern.” There will be a rooftop pool, cabana, and chairs.
“I mean, just an incredible location and an incredible building.” And that’s the Hollywood man, everybody wants to live here.’
The tenants have been treated “respectfully and lawfully” and are being offered compensation, according to the developers involved.
“The aim is to work closely and respectfully with current tenants in providing reasonable eviction compensation and constructing a secure and immaculate new apartment complex which will also include 14 low income units,” said TEM Capital.
In a statement on their website, they added that representatives visited residents on March 2.
“An open line of communication was established with the tenant’s attorney and both sides agreed to enter into the move-out agreement to ensure the smoothest possible process,” TEM said.
“The entire process has been and will continue to be handled fairly by the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) and a legal relocation consultant to ensure 100% that the relocation will be conducted in accordance with the law and that the existing tenants will be treated respectfully and lawfully.”
“Prospective tenants who prefer to move out early will be offered reasonable financial compensation.”