No Evictions at Buenas Apartments on Oct. 6 — but One Resident Already Moved Out

GLENDALE — The Oct. 6 deadline came and went without the wave of evictions that tenants at Buenas Apartments had feared for days. Management did not kick residents out on Tuesday, FOX 10 Phoenix reported — but the reprieve did not stop one resident from packing up and leaving voluntarily while her neighbors urged her to stay.

The woman was a friend of resident Autumn Toms, who said she moved out after receiving a notice that her rent had increased by more than $1,000. Off camera, the woman explained she simply did not want to risk any future fees she might face, FOX 10 reported. “It hurt me to see my friend that emotional, that scared,” Toms said. Toms said she feels guilty because she brought her friend to the complex. Toms, a single mother of two, is choosing to stay — though she warned that if many residents are displaced, they will have nowhere to go.

Shannon Price is also staying. Price told the station she considers her neighbors family, and family does not leave family. Her lease runs through May 2027 at $1,068 a month — but she received a notice demanding $5,065, roughly $4,000 more than her agreement calls for. She met with management to go over her payment history, she said, and got only excuses. “You can’t get us off your back that way because we’re not going to stop until everybody here has what they pay for,” Price said. She credited the continued coverage for keeping pressure on: “Things are going to change,” she said.

Jamir Ogman traces his billing nightmare to August, when new management switched payment portals, FOX 10 reported. Despite paying on time, his balance skyrocketed past $6,000. He told the station he went to the leasing office once to find it closing, was told to come back the next day, took time off work to do exactly that — and found no one there. Residents told the station even more people have moved out in recent days.

The companies behind the complex are proving difficult to reach. An investigation into the address Buenas Communities LLC lists with the Arizona Corporation Commission found it belongs to a UPS Store P.O. Box, FOX 10 reported. Calls to the property managers, Apartment Management Consultants, went unanswered, with messages left on both Oct. 5 and Oct. 6. It has now been days with no response from either company, the station reported — even as residents say the sustained coverage is making a difference, pushing more tenants to speak out and more of the public to pay attention.

There are legal guardrails, at least on paper. An attorney who spoke with FOX 10 explained that even under new management, property owners are required to honor a tenant’s current lease — and that tenants on month-to-month agreements are still owed a 30-day notice before any increase takes effect. In the station’s earlier reporting on the complex, attorney Benjamin Taylor made the broader point that a landlord cannot simply raise rent in the middle of a lease for no reason.

The stakes are especially high because many of the affected tenants rely on Social Security or other government assistance, residents told FOX 10 in its earlier reporting, as noted by Thee Arizona Times — leaving them with limited options and short notice to find a solution. For residents like Toms, a single mother of two, and Price, whose lease runs through next May, the sudden demands are not merely a billing dispute but a direct threat to their housing.

As Previously reported this morning, tenants at the complex near 67th Avenue and Maryland Avenue received letters last week stating their rent and fees had jumped by hundreds — in some cases thousands — of dollars, with five days to pay or face eviction. Thee Arizona Times, citing FOX 10’s earlier reporting, noted that Attorney General Kris Mayes is already suing the ownership group, including an August 2024 lawsuit against Buenas Communities LLC over living conditions at another of its properties. Residents have also described months without working air conditioning, roach infestations, backed-up toilets and brown water from their taps, per the Times’ account.

The pattern is part of why state officials are already involved. FOX 10’s earlier reporting noted that Attorney General Kris Mayes is suing the ownership group over a different property with similar complaints from tenants. A separate case announced in August 2024 accused Buenas Communities LLC of failing to provide habitable living conditions for its residents, citing patterns of neglect and deception.

With the Oct. 6 deadline passed and no evictions carried out, the standoff has entered a new phase: residents staying put, management silent, and the official paper trail leading to a mailbox at a UPS Store. Previously will keep following this story as it develops.