Of All Tarek El Moussa's Shady HGTV Blunders, This One Might Be The Worst

HGTV star Tarek El Moussa took to social media in July 2023 to announce what he called "the biggest flip I've ever done," (per Vulture). The Long Beach-native rose to fame buying and flipping houses with his then-wife Christina Hall on the hit home renovation series "Flip or Flop," going on to star in "The Flipping El Moussas" with his second wife, Heather Rae El Moussa. HGTV fans know that several scandals erupted behind the scenes of "Flip or Flop," but this massive project proved to be one of Tarek's biggest blunders ever.

Known as NoHo 138, the ambitious project involved the construction of a 138-unit apartment complex in North Hollywood slated to sell for $80 million dollars. While the glitzy scheme promised to be highly profitable for the El Moussas, Tarek failed to consider the impact that it would have on the existing residents of the Hartsook Street property. The construction of NoHo 138 necessitated the demolition of rent-controlled bungalows built in 1925, displacing the five remaining tenants, several of whom were elderly or disabled.

Crucially, it was the property's previous landlord Arthur Raffy Aslanian — who was notably convicted of arson, conspiracy and murder-for-hire plots in July 2023 — that issued the eviction notices the previous month. Still, the Hartsook tenants resolved to fight against their displacement and the NoHo 138 project of which Tarek had unwittingly made himself the face. As Lydia Nicholson, the attorney representing them, informed Vulture, "The tenants are organized and know their rights and will not be intimidated by celebrity."

Tarek El Moussa got major backlash after sharing his since-deleted NoHo 138 promotional video in July 2023, with occupants accusing the HGTV star of being tone-deaf in his cavalier approach to demolishing the existing buildings. After the Los Angeles Times published an article accusing El Moussa of evicting the Hartsook tenants, the real estate investor took to social media once more to clarify that the property's previous owner was behind the notices. Even so, the "Flip or Flop" breakout expressed a determination to find a solution that would benefit all parties. "The partners of NoHo 138 have attempted to get in touch with the remaining tenants to have an amicable discussion regarding final move out agreements," he wrote. "Our intentions are to work with the tenants to offer a great opportunity for them while helping to improve the neighborhood," (per Deadline). 

While negotiations were tense at times, with resident Clare Letmon disclosing to People that El Moussa had blocked the Hartsook tenants on social media sometime in July, they seemed to be making progress until he unexpectedly pulled out of the project altogether. Letmon, who was heavily pregnant at the time and living in her Hartsook bungalow with her husband, spoke to the Daily Mail about the development in November 2023. 

"Tarek's backing out. We don't know why," Letmon confirmed, speculating that he had simply been buying time during his book tour. "After months of negotiating — time we cannot get back — we reached an agreement and were just waiting for signatures." Though the occupants were still facing eviction following El Moussa's exit, there have been no subsequent updates about the situation and the project's website is no longer available.