It’s hard enough to find affordable housing in San Diego, but one mother tells NBC 7 Responds she’s also concerned about finding a safe option for her daughter.
Two students and their parents reached out to NBC 7 Responds when they learned that their housing option had fallen through. The building is still under construction. A month ago, the property manager promised to help them find temporary housing until the work was complete, but that all changed this week.
Topaz Apartments is a new student residential and retail development just a few blocks from San Diego State University. It will have 53 units and 169 beds for students, along with many amenities including a fitness center.
Michele Guyton, from the Bay Area, has a daughter who will be attending SDSU in the fall. So in April, they both signed an apartment lease set to begin on Aug.18, just a few days from the start of SDSU’s fall schedule, a tight window that concerned Guyton. She said she asked several questions before signing the leasing contract.
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“I went into it fully understanding that there was a chance it would not be ready, but they assured me, time and time again over phone and email, that if it was not ready that they would have temporary housing,” said Guyton.
As luck would have it, a month later in May they received an email telling them that construction issues, ”will likely delay the original move-in schedule until Oct.15.” The offer for interim housing was on the table along with monetary incentives to remain on the lease despite the delay and the option to cancel altogether.
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But in June, Guyton received another email saying that the interim housing was no longer an option because Topaz couldn’t, “accommodate those who communicated a potential interest in that option.”
For Guyton the scramble to find a place to live for her daughter comes with many concerns, primarily safety the farther she lives from campus.
“If she has a class that is at 6 or 7 a.m. and she has to take a trolley to and from where she actually resides, again not being from the area, is it safe? I’m assuming it is, but you know. I’m not certain,” Guyton added.
In a statement to NBC 7 Responds Topaz said the following:
“We diligently explored housing options and transportation solutions to meet the specific needs of residents on a temporary basis as Topaz construction moves toward completion. Unfortunately, despite our dedicated efforts, limitations, and constraints in the market hindered our ability to secure the desired arrangements at this time, residents interested in temporary housing, should secure it on their own,” said Bob Hetherington, spokesperson of Topaz Community.
Guyton said she found housing a couple of miles away from campus.
A tip NBC 7 Responds has, make sure any assurances that are made to you are included in the contract or lease before you’re about to sign.
