Students, parents complain after bugs, mold found inside Tempe apartment complex

TEMPE, Ariz. (KSAZ) - As students move into dorms and apartments in Tempe, prior to the start of classes at Arizona State University, some say the apartments they decided to rent is in poor condition.

Some apartments reportedly had no furniture, when they were supposed to be furnished. Some had leaky faucets, and some even had mold. Some say many of the apartments are unlivable.

"I think it's a 'bait and switch'," said Glen Kumamoto, parent of a student. "It's not fair to the students."

"I'm pretty pissed about it," said Krystal Scott, who is also a parent of a student.

Pictures taken inside some of the apartment units show cockroaches on the floor, mold on the ceiling, and conditions some describe as unlivable.

"There's no doors on any of the rooms, so the bathrooms don't have any doors," said Kumamoto. "The sinks are broken, so you can't use the sinks."

"It's filthy," said Scott. "It has black mold around the baseboards. It has mold in the kitchen, the bathroom has bugs, the bathtub is black with mold between the tiles."

When FOX 10 Phoenix reporter Matt Rodewald walked onto the Gateway apartment complex, more students showed them their own pictures of the conditions inside the units. Security officers at the scene, however, would not allow crews to get to the apartment office to ask about why some residents were being shown one unit, but getting another.

"They've shown us a nice apartment to rent, and then when we get here, it's something totally different than what we expect," said Scott.

"When they showed us the apartments, it was a very nice model, everything looked great," said Kumamoto. "When we came to move in today, there's mold on the carpet, there's paint on the floor, there's roaches every where."

Kumamoto was able to get out of his lease. Others, however, are less fortunate, and some are srambling for alternatives, with classes right around the corner.

"I don't intend to let my son stay here," said Scott.