After 2 News Oklahoma told you YSA Investments took over Vesta Realty properties, we were invited by the new owners to tour one of them, Barcelona Apartments near 51st and Yale.
"It was too much, and it's just, it was like living in a slum," John Kinnear, who lives in the complex, told us.
He's lived at Barcelona for eight years, and says things started going downhill when Vesta Realty came in.
"You put off enough of those bills and enough of those things, and it catches up to you, and that's where we are," Kinnear said.
Days after the ownership announcement, Parker Detweiler with YSA and current complex staff showed us the worst units on the property.
"Our goal is to make it a happy place for people to live," Detweiler said.
It's been anything but happy for the people at Barcelona. We saw, and smelled, things like mold on the ceiling after a leak, damaged walls, cockroaches, and more. Detweiler this is just step one.
"Figure out what's wrong so we can get it fixed," Detweiler said. "I mean, if you don't take care of the tenants first, you end up with a vacant building that you can't afford to fix."
A lot has to be fixed, like the swimming pool, completely green. Kinnear tells us he has a list himself.
"I think priority one for me is lights, maintenance and security," Kinnear said. We don't have any lights at night, and it's pitch black around here."
Detweiler says trust has to be fixed too.
"I mean, if I've been mistreated for years, I'm not going to trust anybody either," Detweiler said. "That's why you're going to see me here. Like it's not about just trust me being here. It's about making sure it gets done and waiting for our actions. Our actions will demonstrate that you can trust us. It's that simple."
On that, Kinnear calls it a long road ahead.
"We'll see. Of course I have hope, but we'll see," Kinnear said.
Detweiler says if residents have issues, contact their property manager or email info@ysainvestments.com. He adds rent paid goes directly back into fixing the property.
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