Oklahoma AG’s office receiving complaints about Stillwater apartment complex

STILLWATER, Okla. ( KFOR ) — The Oklahoma Attorney General’s office says it’s received multiple complaints about an apartment complex in Stillwater News 4 has been covering.

August 9, News 4 spoke to Oklahoma State University (OSU) students and parents at Apex on Perkins for move-in day. Those who News 4 employees spoke with said they had been waiting in lines for several hours just to get their keys; and some reported unlivable conditions inside of their assigned units. It’s important to clarify the university does not have any affiliation with Apex.

“We were really scared that we wouldn’t have anywhere to stay for the night or just for the next few weeks until we could find somewhere else to stay,” said OSU student Ashley Ramirez.

Ramirez and one of her roommates spoke with News 4 August 9, explaining that their initial room assignment was obviously unfinished. Video they shared consisted of broken fans and sinks, as well as evidence of mold, trash and appliances that had not been installed properly.

Ramirez said Apex management has moved her and her roommates into a model unit on the property, and emphasized how helpful maintenance staff has been; but said the situation clearly didn’t leave the best impression on everyone involved.

“I just like I feel awful for them because I know I was feeling like that for a few hours,” said Ramirez.

News 4 also spoke with another one of Ramirez’s roommates, Kimberly Soto, Wednesday who echoed most of what Ramirez had to say; doubling down on how difficult the initial move-in was.

“I questioned why would they not give us a later date to move in if they knew these apartments weren’t finished?” Soto asked. “I mean, it would have been no big deal if they would have been like, hey, your move in day, it’s going to be pushed back a little bit.”

It’s important to note that News 4 has tried multiple times to make contact with local and corporate management for comment, but those requests have gone unanswered.

During an interview with tenants Wednesday, News 4 employees were confronted by an Apex employee and were instructed that they weren’t allowed on the property. News 4 employees tried to explain to the employee that they had been invited into a unit by tenants living there. The employee blocked one of only two exits to the complex while News 4 employees were trying to leave and instructed them the police had been called. The employee only moved the cart when a News 4 employee started to record the incident and did not comment further.

News 4 reached out to the Stillwater Police Department for comment on potential code enforcement violations and received the following statement:

The Stillwater Police Department’s Code Enforcement division has received multiple complaints from tenants and prospective tenants at Apex Apartments, located at 1822 N. Perkins Road. Our Code Enforcement officers visited the complex last week.

On Monday, August 12, 2024, a letter was sent to the property owners addressing several issues identified in the common areas, including the stairwells, landings, and lighting. While the complaints we’ve received so far have not pertained to the interiors of individual units, our Code Enforcement team is addressing all incoming concerns.

From a patrol standpoint, on Friday, August 9, 2024, we responded to a call at the complex for crowd control. Multiple officers were on site to maintain order among the large number of upset tenants. Other than this, we have not been made aware of any further incidents, though tensions remain high among the student residents.

Please note that our Code Enforcement division is limited to addressing safety and health-related complaints. Issues regarding the cleanliness of individual apartments should be directed to the property management.

Lt. TJ Low, Stillwater Police Department

News 4 also reached out to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office. A spokesperson confirmed that the AG’s office has received roughly 17 complaints about Apex, but could not comment on a potential investigation.

Both Soto and Ramirez said that conversations with the property manager about why the incident happened had been boiled down to new management, but they didn’t believe that summed up the issues.

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