Students Asked to Live Elsewhere
By Sherrell Wilkerson
Outlook Writer
Aqua Park Apartments has forced hundreds of students to find last-minute living arrangements due to leasing unprepared apartments for the new school year.
Since school began on Aug. 24, many students have found themselves being asked to stay with friends or to pay money to stay in a hotel.
The complex received complaints from tenants being moved into apartments that did not have furniture or any appliances.
Florida A&M University student, Alliah James describes how unsatisfied she was when arriving to her new apartment.
“It was just disgusting. The showers were filled with mold, along with the creases inside of the freezer and refrigerator. What made everything worse, is that none of the other furniture we paid for was in the apartment,” said James. “The rooms were not any better. My room was covered with roaches and bugs stuck to the ceiling. Overall, nothing was prepared.”
Tenants of Aqua Park also complained of improper communication from the management and staff, concerning conflicts dealing with money, guarantors and living with requested roommates.
Tallahassee Community College student, Brittany Ruffin, was denied access into her apartment for two weeks after being misinformed about a deposit.
“I still have not been able to move into Aqua Park. A staff member originally informed me that I would need to pay a large deposit in order to receive my keys and move-in,”
said Ruffin. “But I recently received a phone call from the office manager that my guarantor was approved a few weeks ago.”
With the recent negative exposure in the media, Aqua Park staff was not open for questions and tenants can only hope that these conditions are bettered in time
.
“I think the situation would have been a little better if they offered some form of incentive to accommodate the inconvenience,” said James. “Luckily I had friends that I was able to stay with, but the situation is still stressful.”
Ruffin has already been actively looking for a new place to stay and can agree with James that they will not be resigning with Aqua Park once their lease is up.
