Twitter sued in London and San Francisco over alleged unpaid rent

Twitter is being sued by landlords in San Francisco and London after failing to pay rent on its offices, as new owner Elon Musk takes on extreme cost-cutting strategies that reportedly include simply not paying the bills.

The crown estate in London, which manages property belonging to King Charles III, filed a claim against Twitter in the high court in the UK capital last week. The alleged rental arrears relate to office space near Piccadilly Circus in central London, according to the BBC.

This comes after a report earlier this month stated that Twitter owed $136,260 in overdue rent on a separate office in San Francisco and was facing a lawsuit. Also in January, workers at a Twitter office in Singapore were evicted due to unpaid rent on the building.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The social media company was reportedly hit by a 40% drop in revenue after more than 500 clients paused their spending, with high-profile brands such as Audi and Pfizer halting advertising.

The BBC reported that the crown estate took legal action after previously contacting the social media company about the alleged rental arrears at its office space.

The estate is one of the largest landowners in the UK, and although the portfolio belongs to the monarch, it is not private property.

The revenue from the estate goes to the Treasury for public spending and in return the monarch receives the sovereign grant.

The Associated Press contributed reporting