‘We are people, we have rights’: Tucson residents describe years of neglect as AG sues apartment owners

For residents of three Tucson apartment complexes, the Arizona Attorney General’s lawsuit could determine whether long reported problems with air conditioning, plumbing, security and basic maintenance finally receive court ordered attention. At Sienna Ridge, near 22nd Street and Craycroft Road, tenants say conditions have deteriorated over several years, leaving some without reliable cooling, hot water or working toilets while summer temperatures climb. The complex is one of three properties owned or managed by Dasmen Residential and Luxford Living named in the complaint.

Attorney General Kris Mayes is asking the court to require repairs at Sienna Ridge, Sedona Springs and Summit Ridge, and to prevent the owners and operators from renting units that do not meet legal standards. The complaint also requests restitution for residents and civil penalties tied to the alleged harm. According to the lawsuit, units at all three properties have repeatedly failed to stay at or below the Pima County standard of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Indoor temperatures have often risen above 90 degrees, a condition the attorney general described as especially dangerous during extreme summer heat.

The legal action alleges that the properties’ problems go beyond air conditioning. The complaint describes a pattern dating back at least to 2023 that includes broken windows, water and gas problems, structural deficiencies and pest infestations. Mayes said the continued failure to provide adequate cooling places residents’ lives at serious risk. The requested injunction would require the complexes to complete necessary repairs and would bar them from leasing to Arizona consumers until their units comply with the law.

At Sienna Ridge, one longtime tenant, identified by the station as Amy because she feared retaliation, said the complex was in good condition when she moved in six years ago. She told KGUN 9 that the property declined significantly after several years and that conditions are now worse than they were last year. Her account included reports of missing hot water, absent or malfunctioning air conditioning, water damaged ceilings and a bathroom biohazard after a toilet was unusable for 10 days.

Another resident showed the station problems inside her apartment, including a kitchen sink that would not drain, a broken garbage disposal and a pantry door that needed repair. She said a toilet remained out of service for 10 days before maintenance addressed it. When workers eventually arrived, she said they left the apartment with feces still present for hours. The examples reflect the kind of habitability concerns the attorney general’s complaint says have persisted across the three properties.

Residents also described safety problems around the complex. Amy said someone attempted to enter her apartment, and although her husband heard the attempt and drove the person away, a window she reported afterward was not repaired. She said she has seen people conducting drug deals and others passed out on the property, and that she has called police 12 times this year. Day and night security has been added, she said, but the same people continue returning after being removed.

Other shared facilities have also been difficult to use. Amy said the Sienna Ridge pool has remained locked throughout the year, with residents receiving different explanations about repairs and whether the city needed to inspect it. She also said the laundry room is sometimes unavailable because people cut copper wiring from machines. A homeless population on or near the property has added to residents’ concerns, she said, describing an ongoing situation that management has not resolved.

Amy criticized the company’s management while distinguishing it from the maintenance staff. She said some maintenance workers spent their own money to address problems but could not receive reimbursement because they lacked advance authorization from the office. She also said most of the maintenance staff have quit since the problems intensified. In her view, a court case may prompt temporary repairs without producing lasting change, because she worries the complex could eventually return to its previous condition.

The lawsuit’s outcome will determine what happens next for residents at all three Tucson properties. Mayes is seeking a permanent order compelling repairs, along with financial relief and penalties. Dasmen Residential did not respond to a request for comment. For Amy, the dispute is ultimately about whether tenants are treated as people entitled to safe housing rather than as complaints to be managed. Residents who believe they have been victims of consumer fraud can submit a complaint through the Arizona Attorney General’s website.