HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC)– Henrico County is hoping to improve the ‘poor living conditions’ for dozens of tenants at an apartment community on the county’s east end through a rental inspection program.

The county’s building inspections department implemented a rental inspection program authorized by the Henrico County Board of Supervisors in October. The program is currently focusing on the Glenwood Farms multifamily community, which quickly rose up the priority list.

Glenwood Farms Apartments is a 22-acre community built in 1948 with 294 apartments. It was acquired by Apex Glenwood VA, LLC in 2018.

For years residents have complained about the lack of basic necessities, ignored maintenance requests, lack of heat or air conditioning and busted plumbing.

Aladrian Washington told 8news that he’s lived in the community for about a decade and it has only gotten worse over time.

“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen it from the maintenance fixing stuff. It’s run down around here and it shouldn’t be like this,” Washington said.

Greg Revels is the building official for Henrico County and said in 2018, they were getting individual complaints from tenants. That year, 400 violations were found just on the exterior of the units.

Inspectors were able to do a walk through in 2019 after activists voiced their concerns at a town hall meeting.

From Feb. 2018 to Aug. 2021 there have been 455 maintenance code cases, 1,285 inspections, 163 notices of violation and 32 General District Court and Circuit Court hearings.

Revels said the first round of inspections under the program were completed this week in 29 of the units. Inspectors found multiple violations in each unit. There were rotten floors, collapsed water heaters and crumbling bathrooms and plumbing.

James Arrington is a resident and told 8news that he will be moving out after two years.

“It’s terrible,” Arrington said. “Those are the main keys of basic living. If you can’t get basic living, what are you going to do? You’re going to complain, but you’ve got to do something about it.”

According to the county, repairs by management at the community have been done without permits and have not been up to code.

“It’s unacceptable,” Revels said. “Absolutely unacceptable. They’re not responsive rather than taking care of the issues that are clearly not being created by the tenants.”

Moving forward there will be greater code enforcement and legal action. Violations under the building code are considered criminal misdemeanors and could be punishable of up to $5,000.

8news has reached out to Apex Glenwood LLC. for comment.