Vintage Apartments 2025: Mismanagement allegedly continues to plague the senior living community.

^{Photo from Apple Valley News Now}

When we wrote about the issues at the Vintage at Richland in 2024 (https://tumbleweird.org/elder-care-less/), an independent living facility, we heard about issues of crumbling sidewalks, a faulty elevator, garbage piling up, and indifferent management. 

To recap last year’s report, Vintage is owned by Kennedy Wilson, a global real estate investment company with $25 billion dollars of assets. They are managed by FPI Management. Vintage at Richland was built in 2005 with funding from the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, which helps build affordable housing around the state, totaling nearly $12 million dollars. The Vintage is a 4% tax credit property, meaning investors receive a dollar-for-dollar reduction in their federal tax liability in exchange for providing equitable, affordable rental housing.

Now, residents have reached out once again to voice their concerns. This time, many residents say they fear reprisals or even eviction for speaking out. Several people spoke to Tumbleweird under the condition of anonymity, saying they couldn’t provide their names for fear of harassment from other tenants and management. This is a very scary situation for some of the elderly residents. “I still have to live here, honey,” said one resident who is already facing consequences for speaking out. 

There have even been disagreements between members of the VRTA (Vintage at Richland Tenants Association) and residents. 

Mismanagement

Two residents who have been documenting issues at Vintage, Jane Campbell and Kelly D. Roberts, said that some of the issues were addressed by FPI Management after our first story ran. According to them, a chair lift was installed to assist residents when the elevator breaks down. But Campbell said that while they did manage to get FPI to fix some things, the solutions were inadequate. “They did get a chair lift put in, but there are no instructions for it, and it has operating glitches that they have failed to cure,” said Campbell. “It also is not suitable for a lot of our residents, because there’s no way to take down a wheelchair.” 

Campbell has Rheumatoid Arthritis, and says sometimes she is so weak in the arms she can’t carry anything down the chairlift. She has a walker that she can leave on the main floor and one on the floor she lives on now, but feels that the management is using the presence of the chairlift as an excuse to not fix the elevators. Campbell filed for reasonable accommodation and was able to move to a first floor apartment. But the issues persist for others who live on her former floor. 

Maintenance also continues to be an issue at the Vintage. They have one maintenance man named José who is wonderful, according to Campbell and Roberts. But, one man isn’t enough for the 152 apartments. 

Campbell said, “They had people doing electrical and plumbing work that should have been done by certified technicians. And these guys didn’t even have the skills to do it. So they rehired the guy that knows what he’s doing, but he’s so spread so thin, we still have problems getting things done.”

Two members of VRTA, Jeanette Turner and Karen Slater, echoed similar complaints. Slater said they have issues in common areas of the building, like “carpeting that is coming up, carpeting that is stained, smelly, ruined — not only in the halls, but also in apartments.” Slater said she, herself, has almost fallen on the carpet that is peeling up from the floor on the stairs. Some residents have pets, and pets have accidents. And the carpets are not getting cleaned or replaced. They are stained with feces and urine. 

Slater also spoke about problems with appliances that aren’t functional and take months to fix. She had a non-operating dishwasher for months. And, according to Slater and Turner, in their leases, functional appliances are listed as part of the agreement they signed to live at the Vintage. 

Turner also explained that her heating and cooling unit (PTAC) was dysfunctional when she moved in. “When I first moved in ’24, I had an old PTAC machine that did not work properly, and it took me one year to get them to give me a brand new one.” For that entire year, Turner said that neither the heating nor cooling in her apartment worked correctly. 

Slater said that these issues are not isolated to them. “There are a couple of residents here that have not had a working washer or dryer for years.” 

Many residents have complained of the posted “Emergency Number” given to residents going nowhere. When they have a maintenance situation that needs to be addressed immediately, like a flooding toilet that is pouring water into a lower apartment, Roberts said they were told to call the emergency number. But no one responds to these calls. In fact, Roberts and Campbell said that there has never been a response to the calls they have made to the emergency number. 

But one major issue stood out from the rest, and had residents reaching out for help when it happened back in February. 

The fire

The Fire Report from the Richland Fire Department (RFD) lays out the incident conditions and timeline as follows:

22:04:46 – Initial dispatch

22:07:52 – Upgraded to CSF

22:09:00 – First arriving unit (E1712)

22:20:49 – BC171 Assumed Command

22:21:00 – Safety Established

22:23:00 – RIT Established

22:25:18 – Fire Controlled

22:27:00 – Primary Search Complete

22:35:00 – Secondary Search Complete (All Clear)

00:07:51 – Command Dissolved

Six engines were dispatched to the Vintage apartments along with two chief officers and an Advanced Life Support unit. In total, 10 vehicles with 27 people were dispatched to the fire. 

In the Fire Incident Report, the narrative goes as follows: 

A general alarm from the building was received at 10:04pm. 

Engine 1712 was dispatched to 1950 Bellerive (The Vintage), Zone 1 General Fire Alarm. An additional caller reported that her apartment #108 was on fire, and could possibly have been started by a candle. Engine 1712 was advised, and the incident was upgraded.

Richland Police Department assisted in evacuations until the fire was confirmed to be out.

According to the fire department report, burning candles started the fire. The resident where the fire occurred, stated to witnesses that she had a candle burning in her apartment that she blew out before leaving to play cards in the community space. 

According to Campbell and Roberts, some of the seniors living near the apartment that caught fire and were evacuated during the fire, while others were not notified or asked to leave their apartments. 

Campbell said that it was freezing that night, and that at least two residents were mistreated during the fire. One was her dear friend Jane Doe, who lives next to the apartment that had the fire. (Doe has asked that Tumbleweird protect her identity, so we are limiting any descriptors that could single her out.) Campbell said that Doe is very old, and described her as a person that needs help but is not frail. Doe sat out in the cold for a very long time. No one offered her a blanket or offered to take her to an ambulance to get out of the cold. 

“Fire fighters are standing 20 feet away, chatting, and no one goes to get her blanket. The managers are sitting in the office doing paperwork, nothing to do with the fire,” said Campbell. Another resident that was on oxygen was moved outside without their tank. Once they were outside, they were also not taken to an ambulance. 

Campbell and Roberts said that the bigger issue was that many residents were not evacuated, even with toxic smoke in the building. And after the fire, FPI management never adequately addressed the smoke and water damage that can lead to potential mold and other issues. 

No plans

Jane Doe, is one of the oldest residents living independently at Vintage, has always resided in the same, 2-bedroom apartment. In all her years at Vintage, she hasn’t had new carpet installed, and still has her original appliances, some which are barely functioning. Doe said that they had to replace the floor in the bathroom because it was caving in; but that other than that, the apartment hasn’t seen a single upgrade. She paid about $500 per month when she first moved in. This year alone, she’s seen two rent increases. Doe is still traumatized from the fire in February and how she was treated by the management of the building and the RFD. 

When the unit next door caught fire, officials told Doe she had to leave her apartment because of the heavy black smoke. “They came in and they told me I had to leave and they had to take the smoke out. So I went out and sat in a chair. And of course, it was chilly, and I did get chilled… I had some thin blankets, but I didn’t have anything heavy, but I sat out there. And they used my apartment to come through to get to the hallway, because the hallway was full of smoke.”

Doe sat in the cold for hours, not able to go into the building. She got very cold and became weak. She said no one offered to let her warm up or brought her warmer blankets. The management went into their offices and the fire department stood around chatting with the maintenance man. Doe still finds it upsetting to talk about. 

Even after she was finally able to re-enter her apartment after the all clear, Doe was unwell. She felt weak and sick from being left in the cold, and she had injured her hand during the evacuation. “I’m a type two diabetic. I’m on blood thinners. [The fire fighter] did go and give me a band-aid. I have to give him that … but it kind of affected me for several days. I wasn’t in a very good place that night. I just was cold and not feeling good, and they don’t have time to bother [with me].”

Campbell said they have asked every few months to have the Fire Marshall come in and do a safety talk. And Roberts believes that the Vintage should have protocols in place and emergency plans and practices scheduled. Roberts cited the WAC 296-24-567 (Emergency Plan of Action) saying, “[It] has emergency plans of actions for alarm systems, fire prevention plans … [Vintage management] is not in compliance. ... They’re supposed to have a posted plan of action.” On the City of Richland Fire Department’s page, there are links for making emergency plans, including a link specifically for seniors.

When Campbell and Roberts contacted FPI management about making a plan for the most vulnerable residents, they were non-responsive. “We had a meeting with them,” said Roberts. “We said, ‘Please, what can you do about this? Because there needs to be some way to deal with the poor people that are there.’ … Their response was, ‘This is independent living, non assisted living. We don’t have to do that.’”

 Records

A public records request was made by Tumbleweird regarding the fire on February 1. Tumbleweird received recordings of multiple phone calls made to 911 regarding what some residents at the time thought was a false alarm. According to Campbell, the residents have fire alarms “at least once a month” going off from residents burning something in their apartments on the stove. Each apartment has a fire alarm and a sprinkler inside the residence. If the resident opens their hallway door, the hallway alarm also goes off. 

The first 911 call was made by Chris from Guardian Security for a Zone 1 General fire. He stated the alarm was going off and was reporting it. 

The second call was by A.L. She was very upset in the recording and stated several times she didn’t know what was going on in her apartment and that it was filled with thick black smoke. The 911 operator told her to evacuate and Lopez directed the firefighters to her apartment. 

The third call was from J. P., a first-floor resident, who asked “Is there a fire?” The dispatcher at this point confirmed there was a fire and the resident needed to evacuate. But P. told the dispatcher that her electric wheelchair was not charged and she couldn’t leave her apartment. P. also stated that her service dog was very upset by the ongoing fire alarm. P. had to tell the dispatcher several times that Vintage was just one building after the dispatcher mistakenly thought it was several separate buildings. 

Another resident, J. L., also called, stating that the alarm had been going off for half an hour. The fire department had not arrived at that point, but the dispatcher said they were in the area. 

Another call came from Community Director Sandra Villareal, who asked if she would be required to stay at the building. 

The final report from RFD does not include a fire investigation. Here is an excerpt from the final report:

Evidence supported the report of candles starting the fire. The apartment sustained minimal smoke and fire damage, confined to the area of origin. One sprinkler head in the living room was activated to assist in suppressing the fire, with minimal to moderate water damage to the main living area. BC171 and Capt172 met with the occupant, facility management, and maintenance regarding the fire. Facility management contacted a restoration company to secure the property after the exterior sliding glass door was breached to gain access to the fire, the restoration company was on site before the crews cleared. Management and the restoration company were working on temporary housing arrangements for the tenant. 

Additionally, instructions were given to contact their alarm system maintenance company for sprinkler head replacement and to have the system fully restored. One tenant was transported after reportedly suffering a fall around the area of apartment #212 while trying to evacuate. No accidents or injuries were reported to fire personnel. No media interaction. The scene was released back to the tenant and property management.

On February 23, A.L. wrote a statement to RFD explaining what happened in her apartment the night of the fire. In her letter, she explained that she had burned one candle and it was blown out before she left her apartment. 

According to friends of hers at the Vintage, A.L. has been moved out of the apartment complex and cannot discuss the fire until the insurance company settles the claim. 

Peace of mind?

Battalion Chief Brenda Rodgers from RFD called Tumbleweird on June 25 to discuss the fire that had occurred in February at the Vintage and the department’s protocols and procedures. Rodgers is very familiar with the Vintage; both her parents had once lived there. Rodgers explained that buildings like the Vintage are sprinkler buildings, specially designed by building code to have fire doors that are shut when there are fires in the building in order to stop the smoke. Rodgers also said that since she knows the residents of the Vintage are seniors and some of them have limited mobility, the protocol for the fire department is to not evacuate all the residents. 

Rodgers said that initially, the Richland Police Department were evacuating the residents, but were told to stop when she came on the scene. Rodgers said she believed most evacuated residents were inside, in the common rec room. 

Roberts disagreed with that comment by Rodgers, saying that although some residents were allowed to stand in the entryway, she doesn’t think anyone was in the common rec room. 

Rodgers also stated that she did not know about Jane Doe being left out in the cold. Normally, Rodgers said, RFD would contact Ben Franklin Transit and request a Dial-a-Ride transport vehicle or a bus to hold evacuees in the cold. 

When asked why there was no further investigation into the fire, Rodgers stated that there is a science behind fire investigations and that they look at several factors, including witness statements, gathering information on the scene itself, and looking at the multiple reporting points. She said that usually it is “very easy to see the origins of fires” and unless they believe there is malice, accidents like this fire are not further investigated. Rodgers said the tenant in this case was not considered at fault for the fire.  

Rodgers was also asked about coming to talk to the residents about what to do in an emergency. She said that they did, in fact, used to come and give talks but haven’t in a long time. Rodgers was told about how residents at the Vintage are worried about speaking out regarding the lack of fire and smoke remediation after the fire, and fear that they could be evicted. She said she would be in contact with the residents about emergency plans to give them peace of mind. 

The owners of the Vintage are currently under investigation from the Attorney General (AG) of Washington, who has filed a lawsuit against them for five properties in Western Washington. Tumbleweird reached out to the AG’s office to find out if they were aware of the issues occurring at the Vintage in Richland. Deputy Communications Director Mike Faulk replied to our inquiry:

Regarding a potential “expansion” of our investigation, our office has a longstanding policy of not confirming or denying potential investigative actions.

The Residential-Landlord Tenant Act (RLTA) prohibits landlords from retaliating against tenants who make complaints or reports to any governmental authority regarding conditions that endanger or impair the health or safety of the tenant. RCW 59.18.240.

Tenants are welcome to reach out to our office with their concerns, and we can potentially provide resources directly. They can leave a voicemail by calling (833) 660-4877 and selecting Option 7 for “rental properties managed by FPI,” or via email at civilrights@atg.wa.gov. 

On June 26, Roberts let us know that staff from the Office of the AG have been in contact with the Vintage since Tumbleweird reached out and have set up a meeting with the Vintage at Richland Tenants Association (VRTA). 

VRTA sent Tumbleweird an email on July 23rd detailing a Zoom meeting between the VRTA Executive Board and the Washington AG’s Office on July 8:

We spoke with them about the same concerns we told you about: unfair rent increases, added fees, ledger mistakes, unlicensed maintenance workers, poor maintenance and replacement of appliances with used replacements, elevator being down, missing tables and chairs, rude behavior by staff, broken TV in social room, dirty carpeting in halls and social room.

We had a very good meeting.  

One anonymous source told Tumbleweird that the AG said the issues at Vintage are worse than some other cases they have already filed suits on. The tenants asked not to be named because, once again, they were worried about reprisals from FPI.

Financial issues

When we spoke with Doe about the fire, she also spoke about other issues with the management of the Vintage. Her rent has increased steadily over the years, and recently increased two times in six months. She said she knows her memory isn’t what it used to be, and she admits she made a mistake writing out her checks — she mistakenly wrote out $1300.17 instead of $1317.00, a difference of $16.83. She admits she made the mistake over the next several months, but said the management didn’t give her a receipt or notification of any kind. Her error compounded, month after month. 

The manager, who no longer works at the Vintage, was abusive to Doe, who said that they would lie to her and scream at her. She has had witnesses to some of the incidents. “I couldn’t handle it, because the lies were getting so bad that I thought I was going crazy,” said Doe. “[The manager] said she had left me notes. No, she had never contacted me in any way to tell me that ‘You need to come and take care of this.’”

Doe said she was never given rent receipts, but she had her checkbook as proof that she was paying her rent, and that the management never notified her of her mistake. Campbell corroborated Doe’s account, showing forwarded emails that she had written to management on behalf of Doe. As soon as they discovered the error, Doe’s family paid back the missing money (about $280). 

Many times over the years, Doe told us she has asked management to fix the problems with her appliances and was told repeatedly that they could not be fixed. Doe also said she has made requests to Vintage management to move to a smaller apartment. And while many people have moved in and out of one-bedroom units over the years, Doe’s requests have been denied and ignored. 

“Eight years ago, I asked for a one-bedroom. My doctor gave me a certified letter from her [saying] that I needed a one-bedroom. Every time I went to the office to ask for it, [they said] ‘We do not have any now.’”

Doe has been documenting her troubles with the Vintage. She started bringing witnesses with her when she spoke with management, but has been told that she’s “not allowed” to have people come with her. Campbell thinks this equates to elder abuse. 

Rent discrepancies

Doe is not the only resident having problems with getting receipts for their rent payments. Campbell forwarded us an email that she had sent to Vintage management asking for resolution with her rent payments, as well. The text of the email reads as follows: 

I spoke to you last week and asked for resolution of why the rent in Domuso showed a different amount than I usually pay. You said you would have to talk to the AR and I forgot to ask how long it would take. Please let me know when we will have some resolution of this. You also told me I didn’t have to pay any late fees because automatic withdrawal failed to withdraw the correct amount. I have canceled automatic withdrawal until this is resolved. 

Campbell said that on her lease, her monthly charge is $1317. An automatic payment paid $1317 two times and both times, management returned some of the money. Campbell became concerned, and began documenting what was happening. The Vintage uses a payment software company called Domuso that, according to Campbell, management claims they do not have a way to access. 

Campbell wrote a string of emails asking for resolution on this matter, and asked for a correct and accurate ledger of her payments. When she finally received the ledger, it showed her rent suddenly going from $1317 to $940. Campbell is suspicious. She said she has seen other tenants not being notified that their payments are short, and then being served an eviction notice. 

Campbell stopped the automatic payments and is currently only paying $940, even though her lease says the rent should be $1317. She is worried that the Vintage management is going to come to her and say that she owes back rent, because other elderly people at the Vintage are being evicted under these exact circumstances. 

Karen Slater, another resident and a member of VRTA, has had trouble with Vintage management not cashing her rent checks, sometimes holding them for almost a month before depositing them. And she and fellow VRTA member Jeanette Turner both said that the Vintage is charging people on fixed income and HUD vouchers more rent than those that don’t qualify for assistance. Turner said, “Right now I’m paying $945 a month for my one-bedroom apartment. The same apartment for a person who is on HUD might have gotten a $250 increase.”

Response from FPI Management

After several weeks of back-and-forth email communications including an agreement for an interview, FPI management instead decided to forego the interview, instead writing to Tumbleweird via email regarding issues brought up by residents. Kevin Kutz from KK Strategies, on behalf of FPI Management, replied with this statement: 

I have personally been involved with Vintage at Richland for over five years and regularly attend the Community Coffee Hours. This allows me to directly connect with residents and actively listen to any needs or concerns they may have.

Our team also attends the regularly scheduled VRTA meetings. We’re there for the first half of the meeting to address any immediate concerns, and then we excuse ourselves for the second half of the meeting to ensure residents have an open forum to speak freely. Following these meetings, we then meet with the VRTA board to address any further concerns that may have been brought to light during the residents’ private discussions.

From what they tell us, the majority of our residents are very happy at Richland. They consistently communicate their satisfaction to our dedicated staff. While we always strive to improve, we aim to provide affordable places that our residents are proud to call home. Our goals and incentives are simply about that.

Here’s how we put that into practice when it comes to maintenance: 

FPI policy requires us to respond to requests within 24 hours - even faster for emergencies. When there are exceptions, it’s often because we’re subject to parts delivery schedules or vendor availability beyond our control. We keep routine parts on hand to reduce wait time for repairs, and we maintain comprehensive contracts with a routine cleaning service, a dedicated elevator company, and an HVAC company to ensure regular and preventative maintenance. 

We follow the letter and spirit of Washington State RCW 59.18.060 which requires that we take care of requests in a reasonable time frame. Vintage at Richland is subject to regular state and federal inspections and we consistently pass with above-average scores. 

As a specific example: the elevator. I remember the January 2024 incident well because I was at the property for five days working side by side with our on-site management team, the fire marshals, the state Department of L&I and others to get it back in service. In the aftermath, in response to resident requests, we installed a chairlift in the stairwell to provide another alternative, just in case. And our elevator service company is on call always and normally resolves issues within 24 hours.

We’re always focused on doing better, and we’re always open to feedback on how to keep improving. We’re committed to attentiveness and care in upkeep, maintenance and overall quality of life for our residents.

— Sydney Parmalee

Senior Director, FPI Management Inc.

VRTA responded the statement from Parmalee:

The Vintage at Richland Tenants Association (VRTA) acknowledges receipt of the statements made by Senior Director Sydney Parmalee and wishes to respectfully express our disagreements with her characterization of recent interactions and events.

VRTA has maintained comprehensive records concerning FPI Management’s communications with both our organization and the residents of Vintage at Richland. Prior to the formation of VRTA, there was limited engagement between Ms. Parmalee and our residents; meetings were infrequent over the past decade. Additionally, direct communication between Ms. Parmalee and VRTA remained minimal until our founder, Alicia Lopez, reached out to Ms. Parmalee’s supervisor, Ms. Bonnie Darrah, in California.

To date, FPI Management representatives have participated in approximately three meetings with VRTA. Recently, we agreed to permit their attendance for 30 minutes during resident meetings to address concerns. Although Director Parmalee has met with the Executive Board, these sessions have yielded limited progress. We have observed issues such as tardiness, inattentiveness, and a lack of substantive feedback. Commitments made at previous community meetings have often not been fulfilled.

Our documentation efforts include overseeing maintenance requests from residents. Evidence indicates that maintenance calls frequently went unanswered prior to Mr. Jose’s return to the building. At times, repairs were mishandled, resulting in prolonged wait times and further complications. For extended periods, there was an absence of certified maintenance staff on-site.

VRTA leadership has never claimed universal resident satisfaction at Vintage at Richland. On multiple occasions, Adult Protective Services have investigated staff conduct toward residents. We have documented instances of staff misconduct, including reports of theft from deceased residents’ homes and allegations of unprofessional behavior. These matters have been reported to FPI Management, but to our knowledge, no corrective action has been taken.

Recent positive social media reviews appear to be influenced by targeted outreach initiatives encouraging residents to submit reviews about our maintenance supervisor, Mr. Jose. However, it is our understanding that these solicitations are intended for public posting on platforms such as Google. We have reported this practice to the Attorney General as a potential violation of the Consumer Protection Act, believing it may constitute consumer fraud.

Regarding statements about elevator conditions, we maintain accurate and thorough documentation which contradicts any claims downplaying ongoing issues. Our commitment is to ensure transparency and accuracy in all our communications.

The Attorney General’s report offers detailed observations regarding FPI’s operations. Contrary to Director Pramalee’s claims of improvement, many residents remain unclear about rent calculations and account ledgers. VRTA has provided relevant documentation to FPI officials, including Ms. Parmalee.

Statements such as those recently issued by Director Parmalee underscore why senior residents across the state continue to seek support from the media and regulatory authorities. VRTA firmly believes all residents deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and we remain committed to diligent record-keeping and advocacy efforts on their behalf.

— Jeannette Turner

Action Chair, Vintage at Richland Tenants Association

Unresolved issues

Residents at the Vintage are still asking about remediation for the mold and lingering smoke issues from the fire that happened in February. They are asking for appliances and heating/cooling units to be repaired. They are asking for aging carpets to be replaced. 

In our last article about Vintage, we reported about FPI’s plan to remodel the Vintage in 2020, which they said COVID put on hold. The remodel is still on hold. 

With residents fearing eviction for speaking out and the Attorney General looking into the issues, Tumbleweird will continue to update this story as it unfolds. 

A lifelong resident of Eastern Washington, Dori enjoys the outdoors, her family, and making good trouble. She has worked for many years in broadcasting and reporting and believes in the value of the 4th estate. She is a true community advocate that loves Washington.