An eight-unit, L-shaped condominium constructing in Lakewood has been the supply of concern for the town’s rental-housing program for years. Though constructing house owners of Melody Apartments haven’t made needed repairs and metropolis employees declared the models unlawful to occupy, a handful of residents nonetheless lived there, a Information Tribune investigation discovered.
After a fireplace in 2020 broken half of the models at 4914 one hundred and fifteenth St. Ct., property house owners made many repairs with out acquiring needed permits, in accordance with the town. That’s triggered complications not just for the town however for the low-income tenants residing there with leaky home windows, electrical points, plumbing points and rotted railings.
As of Feb. 27, there have been so many noncompliance points at Melody Flats the town deemed the constructing “illegal to hire” and “unlawful to occupy,” in accordance with public information obtained by The Information Tribune.
The property has been beneath an abatement order since Nov. 22, 2022, which meant tenants couldn’t occupy the constructing. The order additionally known as for sure components of the property to be repaired or demolished by Jan. 30, 2023.
Regardless of these orders, as of final month at the very least 5 models had been occupied and had been for months.
Meosha Turner is a program supervisor for House of Matthew, a everlasting supportive-housing nonprofit that helps households transition out of homelessness and discover extra stability of their lives. Turner advised The Information Tribune on March 11 constructing proprietor Lakewood 17 LLC/Sage Funding Group LLC leased eight models to Home of Matthew in August 2024. Turner stated on the time Home of Matthew didn’t know the constructing had been beneath an abatement order and there have been so many points. Now low-income households who hoped to search out stability at Melody Flats are being pressured to maneuver once more, she stated.
Turner lived in one of many models on website till final month. She stated metropolis officers have identified about points on the advanced for years however haven’t held property house owners accountable for housing violations. Turner additionally alleges employees with the Rental Housing Security Program entered residents’ models quite a few instances with out their permission, together with her personal unit when she was asleep.
On Wednesday, the town denied allegations that inspectors entered models with out permission and stated the town posted 48-hour notices upfront of the inspections, as required by legislation. Spokesperson Brynn Grimley stated Home of Matthew employees denied entry to the town 3 times in February and March.
Lakewood 17 LLC/Sage Funding Group LLC advised The Information Tribune by way of electronic mail Thursday that Home of Matthew had indicated it could give up possession of all eight models by April 11. A consultant with the corporate stated tenants weren’t supplied relocation help.
Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer information present the property was offered on Sept. 10, 2021 by Lakewood Neighborhood Group LLC to Lakewood 17 LLC/Sage Funding Group LLC for $1,577,662. The town stated the sale occurred after Lakewood Neighborhood Group LLC repaired the fireplace and water harm “with out acquiring any permits or inspections.”
In depth unpermitted and uninspected work continued for years on the property regardless of the town posting a stop-work order on April 7, 2022, in accordance with public information. The property was deemed “Noncompliant” by the town for the unpermitted work in September 2022, in accordance with metropolis information.
“It’s the metropolis’s understanding that the property remained vacant from the September 2022 [Rental Housing Safety Program] posting, by means of the abatement course of, till someday in December 2024,” Grimley stated on March 21. “We’re uncertain of [the] precise date as this property stays a Noncompliant Rental Property by means of the RHSP and the abatement order stays in place, making this property uninhabitable. Whereas now we have no documentation as a result of property proprietor being non-compliant and unwilling to share info, we consider the property proprietor/supervisor Sage leased the property to Home of Matthew round this time, which is when Home of Matthew might have begun bringing in tenants illegally.”
Representatives with Home of Matthew didn’t reply to that allegation. Lakewood 17 LLC/Sage Funding Group LLC stated by way of electronic mail Thursday that Home of Matthew accepted the situation of the property earlier than subletting to tenants and didn’t get hold of a license to legally hire the models to tenants.
In an electronic mail to property house owners and Home of Matthew March 26 despatched to The Information Tribune by the town, metropolis housing division supervisor Jeff Gumm stated the Home of Matthew nonetheless must get hold of a Metropolis of Lakewood Rental Housing Security Program enterprise license.
In an emailed assertion to The Information Tribune on March 26, Sage Funding Group stated it was dedicated to making sure the protection and authorized compliance of all its properties. The corporate stated representatives from the Home of Matthew denied entry to a metropolis inspector at the very least twice “and when leaseholders hinder them, our staff can’t fairly guarantee the protection and compliance of our properties, which finally places tenants in danger.”
“For the final a number of months, we’ve labored carefully with the Metropolis of Lakewood and the nonprofit the Home of Matthew to schedule a needed inspection of The Melody … which is at present absolutely leased to the Home of Matthew,” Sage Funding Group stated. “Yesterday, on March 25, 2025, the Metropolis of Lakewood was capable of efficiently examine this property. We’re eagerly awaiting a full listing of repairs required and look ahead to finishing them in a well timed method. We’re cooperating absolutely with the Metropolis of Lakewood and need to thank them for his or her help and partnership as we work to make sure this property is protected and in compliance. We additionally respect the cooperation of the Home of Matthew and are dedicated to working with them shifting ahead to do what’s greatest for the tenants of The Melody.”
When requested why Lakewood 17 LLC was renting models to tenants and tenants had been residing at Melody Flats regardless of the town understanding the models had been noncompliant, Grimley stated: “We depend on non-public property house owners to behave as accountable house owners and comply with the legislation. When the criticism was issued, the tenants residing within the two occupied models within the constructing had been relocated, per state legislation. The query of why tenants had been/are allowed to dwell in a constructing in violation of the town’s order ought to be directed to the property proprietor/supervisor. They’ve a accountability to comply with the legislation.”
In an electronic mail Thursday, a Lakewood 17 LLC/Sage Funding Group LLC consultant stated in response, “It’s the accountability of the tenant to take care of the property and to inform the proprietor/landlord/property supervisor of any main points requiring repairs or substitute. Home of Matthew had possession of the property, persistently declined to permit the proprietor and the Metropolis to enter the property to conduct inspections, and has now declined to permit the proprietor entry to finish the required repairs.”
Turner advised The Information Tribune on a tour of the property March 24 that tenants had submitted upkeep requests that may typically go unanswered or ignored by the property proprietor.
What does the newest inspection report say?
The property was most lately inspected by the town on March 25. In accordance with the inspection report, each unit failed inspection, as did the shared laundry room and different areas.
Metropolis employees famous 4 models didn’t have functioning heaters, and at the very least one unit didn’t have functioning scorching water, points that had been deemed to want “instant restore.” Three models had sinks that didn’t drain correctly, one unit had an uncovered wire within the toilet, one had no carbon dioxide/smoke detector, one other had a lacking lock on its window and the laundry room’s washer was discovered to not operate correctly, leaking water into the wall, ground and neighboring condominium. These objects had been thought-about “life-safety” repairs that wanted to be accomplished in 10 days.
“There are nonetheless many objects to handle, however none rise to the extent of unsafe situations that may require closure of the constructing. That stated, the models have to adjust to our rental code or the property can’t obtain a certificates of compliance. With no certificates of compliance, a rental can’t proceed to function. The town is hopeful the remaining points shall be resolved,” Grimley stated by way of electronic mail March 27. “The proprietor began engaged on objects yesterday and has expressed eagerness to finish the work. With this property particularly, now we have needed to stability imposing our legal guidelines with understanding that this property gives needed inexpensive housing to individuals who have minimal sources to search out housing some other place. Our precedence is to ensure tenants of this property have protected models that don’t pose life security considerations.”
In an electronic mail Thursday when requested why repairs weren’t accomplished earlier, a Lakewood 17 LLC/Sage Funding Group LLC consultant stated, “The proprietor was not conscious of the situation of the property previous to the current inspection on March 25.”
As beforehand reported by The Information Tribune, Kirkland-based Sage Investment Group LLC recently purchased a number of other buildings in Tacoma, Fife, Olympia and Centralia. The corporate purchased several hotels on South Hosmer Street final 12 months to transform into flats along with other hotels in Fife and extra in Lewis County.
Public information present the town was conscious Lakewood 17 LLC/Sage Funding Group LLC continued to do intensive unpermitted and uninspected work at Melody Flats regardless of the town posting a stop-work order in April 2022. The unlawful work included: substitute of fire-damaged supplies, roof substitute, siding substitute, window and door substitute, deck substitute and structural modification, substitute of stairs, substitute of railings and guards, drywall substitute, plumbing, mechanical and electrical modification and intensive inside modification to a number of models, in accordance with the abatement order issued by the town in November 2022.
In September 2022 the town posted a discover for Rental Housing Security Program noncompliance on the property, barring the constructing from being legally occupied or rented and requiring Lakewood 17 LLC/Sage Funding Group LLC to pay tenants relocation assistance under state law. In accordance with public information The Information Tribune obtained, the property house owners paid at the very least $11,000 in relocation help to these tenants in October 2022.
Grimley stated Melody Flats handed all constructing and allow inspections in July 2024, however the constructing failed a remaining inspection in September 2024. Grimley stated these objects wanted to be addressed earlier than the abatement order and RHSP noncompliance posting could possibly be lifted.
‘Folks’s lives are hanging in jeopardy’
Turner stated the previous couple of months since Home of Matthew found the abatement order and noncompliance posting has thrown the lives of Melody Flats’ tenants in disarray.
“The place’s the oversight and the place’s the accountability?” Turner stated. “Folks’s lives are hanging in jeopardy.”
The entire tenants who lived there are low-income and a few have disabilities, communicate restricted English, had been beforehand unhoused and confronted discrimination, Turner stated. Home of Matthew at present has a 200-person ready listing for inexpensive housing, she stated. With out stronger protections for tenants and stronger penalties for landlords, “It’s going to contribute to extra homelessness, it’s going to contribute to extra landlord-tenant points,” Turner stated.
In an electronic mail to The Information Tribune on Thursday, Lakewood 17 LLC/Sage Funding Group LLC blamed the state of affairs on Home of Matthew’s refusal to cooperate with house owners and the town to conduct inspections and full repairs.
Turner stated Home of Matthew has a comparatively low price of individuals returning again to homelessness after discovering housing and stability of their program. Some tenants anticipated to dwell at Melody Flats for some time, however now they’ve to determine some other place to dwell, she stated.
“Having to take care of this takes away our skill to actively assist and have interaction with different folks, with our case administration,” Turner stated. “And so not solely are they impacting the folks right here, it’s impacting the individuals who aren’t even right here.”
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