Tacoma senior renters were deceived, WA alleges. A complaint seeks restitution
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- Washington state filed a lawsuit accusing apartment firms of deceiving low-income seniors.
- Defendants allegedly misrepresented apartment rent terms, quality, amenities and safety.
- The lawsuit seeks an injunction, civil penalties and restitution for affected tenants.
Washington state sued a property-management firm and others on Friday over alleged unfair and deceptive practices toward low-income seniors, including at a 231-unit apartment complex in Tacoma.
The lawsuit, brought by the state Attorney General’s Office, accused a California-based property management group and the owners of five Western Washington apartment complexes of withholding information about rent and misrepresenting apartment quality, amenities and safety.
“Housing is particularly important for older Washingtonians, and it’s hard for them to move once they’ve signed a lease,” Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement announcing the suit. “It’s egregious to convince vulnerable populations they’re getting quality living when in reality they are stuck with properties in disrepair that also end up costing more than they expected over time.”
The case was filed in Snohomish County Superior Court and accused eight defendants of violating the Consumer Protection Act.
FPI Management, Inc., which manages the properties at issue, didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking a response to the allegations.
The properties are owned by limited liability corporations (LLC) or partnerships (LP). Four of the sites, including the senior-living Vintage at Tacoma Apartment Homes, are tied through an LLC or LP to California-based Vintage Housing Holdings, LLC.
Vintage Housing senior vice president Maureen Picarella said in a statement Friday that the company, which has been a part of providing housing in Washington for more than 25 years, disputed the Attorney General’s allegations and will address them in court.
“We take seriously our role as providers of affordable housing to seniors and the communities we are part of,” Picarella said. “We will work with our property manager, FPI, to address any issues.”
Details of AG’s lawsuit
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the property owners receive tax credits in exchange for setting aside a certain number of apartment units for low-income tenants under the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. Maximum rental rates are set annually and based on the area median income (AMI) in the county where the property is located.
AMI is often much more than the fixed Social Security or pension incomes of many seniors in the federal housing program, the office said. The defendants don’t explain or adequately disclose to prospective tenants that rents are calculated based on AMI, leading to housing costs that are unsustainable to seniors, according to the office.
“This failure to disclose key details about rent calculations and increases surprised and harmed seniors, who are less likely to move units once they’re in, even if costs become unmanageable, due to the cost and physical demands of moving,” the office said.
FPI, Vintage Housing and others were also accused of marketing “luxury” and “resort style” apartments that were often dirty and worn down with non-existent or inoperable promised amenities.
In November 2022, a water leak in a unit of Vintage at Tacoma Apartment Homes, which is near South Tacoma Way and South 40th Street, led to a revelation that “mice and rodents were living between the walls and floors throughout the building,” according to the lawsuit.
The Attorney General’s Office also alleged that apartment complexes were not safe and secure as advertised. In recent years, at least two tenants at the Tacoma apartment complex reported the area had been marred by drug activity or vehicle break-ins and thefts, but no records suggested that the defendants had installed a functional camera system, outdoor flood lights or on-site security patrols, the suit said.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent the defendants from continuing to engage in alleged wrongdoing, a $12,500 civil penalty for each violation of the Consumer Protection Act, restitution to affected tenants and legal fees, according to the office.
This story was originally published June 15, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Tacoma senior renters were deceived, WA alleges. A complaint seeks restitution."
