On the floor of their apartment bathroom, University of Dallas students have positioned a bowl shielding the floor from the dripping air conditioning unit. It has been there for two weeks. Three work requests later, these roomates still await assistance for their apartment.
These students’ plight is similar to those of numerous UD students living in Tower Village who share frustration with Tower Village management’s slow response to maintenance complaints.
One of the roomates, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals from the management, has been a resident of Tower Village since December 2017. Her apartment was one of the first apartments remodeled under the new ownership.
SB Pacific bought the complex from UD in August 2017. Since buying the property, the new management has renovated some of the apartments.
“There aren’t many apartments that are newer like mine,” said Marquel Plavan, a senior whose apartment was one of those renovated. “Only a few that had no one living in them got renovated.”
Despite the remodel, the resident’s apartment has been plagued by a number of electrical and plumbing issues, she said.
The heating and cooling unit malfunctioned, driving up the electric bill. The kitchen sink pipe collapsed, soaking the contents of the cabinet. The apartment building’s sewage had to be entirely drained before becoming usable once again. The roommates waited for a month for their dishwasher to be repaired.
In one instance over the summer, paint fumes from repairs in the home next door drove the student and her roommates from their apartment for a day and a night.
“The apartment wasn’t exactly livable at that time,” the resident said of those days of renovation.
Janakay Mobarak of Centra Partners, the management company for Tower Village Apartments, replied in an email to decline commenting on student concerns.
Another UD student living in Old Mill, who asked not to be named because of the fear of reprisal from Tower Village management, said one of their stove burners has been unusable since moving in.
The electrical wire running under the stovetop into the burner has been damaged by water and awaits attention from maintenance. They placed an initial repair request early in August and have gone to management twice without response.
“The wire itself is a real fire hazard,” the inhabitants reported.
Although they have never had major conflicts with Tower Village maintenance, a compilation of smaller issues have weakened their faith in their efficiency as a business that cares about their customers.
Many are also frustrated by the lack of communication between tenants and management.
“When I report things via email, I won’t hear about any action until I get a ‘work request fulfilled’ email, many of which aren’t even numbered with the proper dating,” the resident said.
Requesting service in person also receives varying levels of success. Tower Village is intentionally vague to tenants concerning concrete expectations for resolving situations, the resident said.
“They need to make themselves more appealing to the students,” she said. “We are the people that keep Tower Village occupied. UD students are always going to be the trustworthy residents.”
