LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — There is some encouraging news for residents at Bella Estates.
Many people who live at the apartment complex have described to 8 News Now the dangerous living conditions. After more than two weeks of news coverage, Bret Holmes, president of Advanced Management Group (AMG), owners of Bella Estates, tells us repairs are underway on the mold and structural issues.
Victoria Saha: What compelled you to finally sit down with us?
Bret Holmes: We looked bad. That is not the way we operate the company. That is not the way our expectations are for the team. So here I am.
Holmes invited 8 News Now back into his office after we were turned away twice before. “I did not love that but I do understand your persistence. I don’t love how all that looked,” he said. “Obviously once we saw the story it got my attention. I jumped on it.”
Saha: Do you blame the tenants for not having any trust in you?
Holmes: No not at all, and we are going to try to earn that trust back. But based on how we handled it (the complaints) I completely understand the story.
Holmes said since our stories aired 77 of the units have been repaired.
Saha: Why did it take Channel 8 to get involved for you to take action?
Holmes: It shouldn’t have. That’s the bottom line. We should have been able to take action internally. We should have been able to resolve these issues in a timely manner.
When 8 News Now first started reporting on this story in late September, the VP of operations for AMG told us she “personally” saw the efforts made to make repairs. But as residents told us, there were no repairs made.
Saha: What repairs did she personally oversee if there were no repairs?
Holmes: We are looking at everything — the way this situation was handled. That is the best answer I could give you on that question.
Holmes put the blame on those working under him for not letting him know just how serious the issues were.
Saha: But Bret, you know you acquired an older property. You know there is going to be some issues. We had that 100-year event. Why not follow up right away personally?
Holmes: It was based on the information I was given at the time, so based on the information I had in the beginning, it didn’t require my response to go to the property.
Saha: Can you tell me where that communication went wrong?
Holmes: It’s on multiple levels. We are doing in-depth — a very in-depth look — at how we handle our company, how we handle the situation to make sure it does not happen that way again.
Saha: What are you going to do as the big boss to make sure every single resident feels safe and secure in an apartment run by AMG?
Holmes: Everything I possibly can.
When asked if he has anything to say directly to his residents, Holmes said, “I want to personally apologize to our tenants and I’d like to say I am going to do everything in my power to correct the issues we have to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Holmes said he has compensated many residents for their troubles and repairs should be fully completed in the next week.
Attorney Richard Harris is representing nearly two dozen residents at the apartment complex.
8 News Now will continue to follow this story.
