‘It’s a two-way street,’ tenants vs. landlord of troubled Las Vegas apartment complex
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The deadline to make repairs is approaching for the owners of a troubled Las Vegas housing complex. This is while tenants at the Apex Apartments have received eviction notices.
The apartments are located north of UNLV on Twain Avenue near Maryland Parkway.
California-based Pro-Residential Services bought the property in January of 2021, according to county records. The property was then unlicensed and conditions deteriorated.
The owners have 30 days after the issuance of a temporary business license on April 25 to then reapply for a permanent business license, according to a Clark County spokesperson.
Clark County sued the owners in 2022 pointing to deplorable conditions and excessive crime at the complex. The county alleged the owners provided unsafe housing in multiple states while collecting coronavirus rental relief money.
The owners and tenants received a total of $488,000 of coronavirus relief money, also known as CHAP (CARES Housing Assistance Program), according to the county.
In April, the county and the owners reached a settlement. The lawsuit would be dismissed, and the owners are required to make repairs, follow building and fire codes, and pay the county $45,000.
A Clark County District Court judge previously put evictions on hold, but the settlement allows the owners to try to evict tenants who are not paying rent.
Joshua and Jessica Carmack told the 8 News Now Investigators they lived at the property and paid rent regularly before Pro-Residential Services purchased it, but they have not paid rent in months because of the poor conditions.
“When they started not doing anything and holding up their end of the lease, well, it’s a two-way street,” Joshua Carmack said. “You bought it during a worldwide emergency and then you expected to not do anything. We were all living in our homes for a year at that point, you know we couldn’t go anywhere, and you guys just took everything from us: the Wi-Fi, the internet, left us just stuck in a box during a pandemic, and that was horrible.”
Jessica Carmack showed the 8 News Now Investigators the 30-day pay or quit notice she received stating she owed nearly $14,000, and specifying that $995 was due for the first two weeks of May. She and her husband said they are planning to file a motion to stay, the first step in the process is to ask a judge to prevent the eviction.
When the 8 News Now Investigators visited the property Thursday, tenants pointed to exposed wiring where they said the fire alarms used to be. Many units and the laundry room were boarded up.
The 8 News Now Investigators asked the county whether help would be offered to tenants to find new housing.
In an email, a spokesperson responded, “Clark County’s Social Service Department has attempted to obtain information about how many people might be in need of assistance, but the property manager has instead indicated they will provide contact information for Social Services to those who may be in need.”
The 8 News Now Investigators reached out to the property owners three times and have not yet received a response.
By law in Nevada, landlords are required to maintain livable conditions.
Legal Aid of Southern Nevada has information for tenants and landlords.
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