Troubled Irving Apartment Complex to Get New Management

Residents at an Irving apartment complex are hoping a change in management leads to better living conditions.

The Oak Villas apartment complex has been at the center of controversy ever since hundreds of residents went to City Hall last month for help. Complaints included roach and rodent infestations, water leaks and exposed wiring

This week, Pinnacle Family of Companies announced that it would no longer be managing the property. City officials said they received informal notice from the property owner, Besyata Investment Group, that a new management company would be taking over in the new year.

Jorge Rivero, who has lived at the apartment complex on MacArthur Boulevard north of Airport Freeway for about a year, said he took off his kitchen cabinet doors because "that's where the roaches hide all the time -- between the hinges."

Rivero said his bathroom has had major issues since a maintenance request went badly five months ago.

"We can't use the restroom because, if we flush it, it floods to the other restroom, and it floods the whole apartment, so it has been flooded three times already," he said.

Rivero also said he and his six children can't shower in their bathroom because they no longer had a shower head.

"I went to the office, and I asked when were they going to fix my bathroom. He says, 'That's not my problem. That's your problem,'" he said.

Cyndi Avila also has complaints about her unit.

"The flooring was so bad that when they came to fix a certain section of it, they fell through my ceiling right there," she said.

Teresa Adrian, city code enforcement director, said the city has issued more than 20 citations, each carrying a fine of up to $2,000.

"The citations were for life safety issues," she said. "One in particular would have been a smoke alarm that was not properly functioning. Another one would've been a junction box behind a stove that wasn't properly attached."

Adrian said her department has received informal notice about a change of management.

Besyata Investment Group issued the following statement:

The new owners have spent over $1 million to repair and upgrade the Oak Villas Apartments. The owners are continuing to work with the city and the new management company to identify and fix any remaining issues and to maintain the property and improve its value for the benefit of residents and the city.