Management At NW OKC Apartment Complex Abandons Tenants

The tenants of one Northwest Oklahoma City apartment complex feel abandoned. They say some units don't have water, others don't have heat, and management left the place days ago.

The once densely crowded Terrace Apartments has only a few dozen residents left. Many have tons of questions about the location of management officials.

"It's a lot of people who are gone and a lot of buildings that are empty," said longtime tenant, Aporsche Martinez.

Busted windows, vacant rooms and the once secure gate at the Terrace Apartments is left wide open.

"The police said that the lady abandoned the apartment. Oklahoma City Police was here and told us that and to get a lawyer,” Martinez said.

When tenants tried to pay this month's rent, some say they main office was locked and closed, and that management laid off the entire staff on Halloween and left.

"I don't know what was going on, but all I know is everybody here is suffering," said tenant, Sandra Green.

Green says things have gotten so bad, the water was shut off, some rooms are covered in mold and bugs, copper has been taken and the office was raided.

"The door was opened. There were files all over the floor. The bills were not paid and all of the machines were taken out of there,” Green said.

There are more than 100 units in the Section 8 housing complex at Northwest 10th and Rockwell.

"It was rough here, I can understand that. I've seen a couple of killings since I've been here, but I thought they were going to come in and clean it up, and make it right, but no, it's been worse,” Green said.

Residents speculate that because a federal grant didn't come through, so went the property manager.

"The big investor backed out, so now what are we supposed to do?" Green said.

Green said someone from HUD is supposed to come on Monday. Meanwhile, many residents have left while others say they don't have anywhere else to go.

"A lot of people didn't have places to go, but right now, I don't, so I'll be here until something else comes up,” Martinez said.

Tenants say the water was recently turned on, but only after a former maintenance man cut it back on. They say the property manager was Independent Management in Michigan, whose offices are closed on weekends.