SHELBY COUNTY, Tennessee — Residents at Memphis Towers are still dealing with mold, faulty appliances, lack of maintenance or security and more.
Joyce Warren has lived in Memphis Towers for 10 years. She said the first five were great, but then Millennia Holdings bought it.
“Where is all this money going that they’re getting for these buildings and they’re not doing anything to them? It ought to be against the law,” she said.
This week, Millennia Companies announced its intention to sell the troubled Serenity Towers. However, that's just one of their many properties. The Cleveland-based company operates nearly three hundred apartment complexes in over two dozen states. Warren is hopeful Millennia sells their entire portfolio in the Mid-South.
“They just paint over things. They don’t put new material in... They didn’t insulate the property; they didn’t spray for the bugs. Four months we were in the apartment, they didn’t even spray. Now, that’s not right,” Warren said.
Warren said community rooms have been dismantled, construction has gone unfinished and they can't even congregate in the lobby or outside their own building.
“We went eight months without hot water. You think they gave us restitution on our rent? No! They said we owe a late fee,” Warren said.
An entire Memphis Towers Tenants Union has sprung up to try and collectively deal with issues coming from Millennia.
“There’s too much going on with this building. I heard there was a lien. I heard HUD was cutting them off," said Memphis Towers resident Chico Nelson. "I just wish somebody would come up and say something. Get some stuff done.”