Herman Younger moved into his apartment at The Pavilion on 62nd on Friday and didn’t recognize the man sleeping on his couch.
The UF political science junior promptly left the apartment, located at 1000 SW 62nd Blvd., the next day and terminated his lease. Students moving into the apartments in Fall 2016 also had issues, according to Alligator archives.
For Younger, the unwanted guest wasn’t his only problem. The 21-year-old said his apartment didn’t look like the model he was shown when he signed his lease in Spring. He found leaves and dirt on his apartment floor — which was supposed to be wood, not carpet.
He waited in a line from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the leasing office to complain and met other residents with problems in their apartments.
“We were all discussing (it), and everyone had an issue,” he said. “Since they opened, there was a line of complaints.
Since Younger left his lease at Pavilion, he has slept on a friend’s couch. His belongings fill his car, and he doesn’t know where he will move.
“I still have no home,” he said.
The Pavilion’s spokesperson, Bob Hetherington, said the man sleeping on Younger’s couch was a roommate, but Younger said he knows who his roommates were. Hetherington said other reported issues have been exaggerated. In one case, a resident said they found blood on their bathroom floor; Hetherington said it was red nail polish or hair dye.
“When residents move out, there is a short window for cleaning staff and sometimes this happens,” he said. “This isn’t done intentionally.”
Hetherington said management is working on resolving residents’ complaints.
“To address the issue, management of The Pavilion has brought in additional vendors, cleaners, carpet layers and other professionals to make things right as quickly as possible,” he said.
Last year, residents at The Pavilion complained about rodents and bad smells after The Pavilion said their cleaning service hadn’t completed setting up new apartments, according to Alligator archives. Katlin Ruppel, a Sante Fe nursing graduate, bought a new mattress for her Pavilion apartment last year because she said the mattress provided was old and stained. Ruppel, 24, said when she complained of broken door handles, mix-matched wall colors and cockroaches, the leasing office wasn’t responsive.
“It was just a horrible experience living there,” she said. “It’s really sad that people are going through what I went through last year. I really hoped it would have changed.”
The Pavilion said it is accommodating residents who are impacted by delays moving into their apartment. The apartment has offered lodging in nearby hotels and motels and gift cards to local restaurants, Hetherington said. Residents who waited until Monday were given a $100 move-in credit and $150 if they waited until Tuesday.
The washing machine in UF political science junior Herman Younger’s Pavilion on 62nd Apartment is covered with dirt. Younger said his apartment wasn’t cleaned before he moved in.
