Parents raise concerns about ‘shocking’ off-campus housing conditions for Miami students – NBC 6 South Florida

Parents of University of Miami students living in an off-campus apartment complex undergoing renovation delays in recent weeks gathered Saturday to share their concerns about the living environment and ask that action be taken.

Abha Shroff, whose son is a senior at the university, said they received an email a few days before he was scheduled to fly from Mumbai, India to South Florida to begin the new academic year and move in to the complex, known as The Cloisters Miami.

The email, sent in August, reportedly stated that construction on the facilities was delayed, and that residents would be put up in a hotel at the management company’s expense and given a per diem for the inconvenience while work continued.

“It was fine, until, two weeks down, they said it’s another week, then they said it’s another week, and then it was one more week,” Shroff told NBC6.

She said residents were eventually given a new move-in date of Sept. 22.

NBC6 received the following statement from management company Landmark Properties regarding the delay:

Since unforeseen construction delays pushed back our move-in timeline for residents at The Cloisters Miami last month, the general contractor has worked around the clock to get the buildings approved for occupancy. While we are happy to share that all townhome residents have already moved in, residents scheduled to live in renovated units have faced additional delays. Based on the most recent inspections completed Wednesday night by county officials, the general contractor now projects a move-in date of Friday, Sept. 22 for both buildings of renovated units – our final group of move ins.   

As we have done with previous delays, we will extend current hotel reservations at THEsis, one of Coral Gables’ top hotels, and per diem food allowances until all residents are moved onto the property.  

We deeply apologize for another change to the move-in timeline and are working with the general contractor to do everything possible to get residents into their homes. We apologize for the continued inconvenience and will continue to be in regular communication with residents.

A spokesperson also confirmed that “there are fewer than 150 students waiting to move in.” But for each one, Shroff said, there is a story similar to that of her son.

A Facebook group was even formed with approximately 400 members — which includes parents of residents — to discuss the issues.

“It is shocking,” Shroff, who is also a physician in India, told NBC6. “There’s water leaking in his apartment. There is some brown, mucky — some debris in his shower area, which I saw yesterday. There’s mold forming on the ceiling. I refuse to let my child live in an unsafe environment.”

NBC6 reached out to the management company again on Friday, regarding concerns from parents and residents who said that police and fire personnel had been called to the apartment complex this week for a gas leak, reportedly forcing a gas shutoff until early next week, and leaving residents unable to prepare food in their apartment kitchens.

However, as of Saturday afternoon, NBC6 has not received an answer to the follow-up questions that were sent.

Shroff said she has faced similar challenges in trying to have her son released from his lease agreement.

“Keep that deposit. Release us from this lease. There are other apartments available, and let the kids move out,” she said. “There is no response to that.”