Troubleshooters: South Jersey apartment complex cited with hundreds of violations

MAPLE SHADE TWP., New Jersey (WPVI) -- A mega apartment complex in South Jersey bills itself as luxury but some renters tell our Action News Troubleshooters it is anything but. In fact, the apartment has been cited with hundreds and hundreds of violations.

Fox Meadow Apartments sits off Route 73 in Maple Shade Township.

"There's a big sign, it says 'new state-of-the-art clubhouse coming.' A splash pad supposedly; it's going to have a pool and billiards and a coffee bar," said Alan Marles who lives there.

But their apartment is another matter.

"We have holes in the wall. We had an infestation of mice. And I mean, we had a lot of mice; there are pieces of drywall that are falling," Marles said.

The Marles family is also concerned about safety and mold.

"Myself, my wife, my son, and my daughter, we all have asthma," Marles said.

He said they've complained to their landlord, Kamson Corporation.

"Nothing was ever done," said Marles.

Over the years, the Troubleshooters has received nearly 20 complaints about conditions at Fox Meadow. So we asked South Jersey Legal Services what recourse renters have if problems aren't resolved.

"You need to notify your landlord in writing that there's an issue. And only after you've done that, and given that person or corporation a chance to make the repairs, can you then withhold your rent," explained Maria Born with South Jersey Legal Services.

But your landlord could still file to evict you for nonpayment and that could hurt your credit history.

South Jersey Legal Services tries to help renters in advance, in some cases taking landlords to court. It's now looking into Fox Meadow after learning the Troubleshooters are on the case.

"I'll have our intake unit contact them," said Born. "I want to see what's happening at this building."

Born promises an in-person inspection as soon as next week.

It's also important you contact an organization like South Jersey Legal Services so it can see if there is a pattern of problems.

"We would want to know that this is kind of a systemic problem with this building," she said.

Meantime, the Troubleshooters tried getting answers from Fox Meadow with no luck.

And on the day we were at Fox Meadow, state inspectors were, too, acting on the Marles' complaint and found 10 violations in their apartment. And this is not the first inspection at the complex.

In 2021, Action News told you seven inspectors had been assigned there. At the time, the state found nearly 200 pages of violations.

"My child is scared that the roof is going to fall on him," said Marles. "They're not fixing inside any of the apartments, but they're spending probably thousands if not more on a new state-of-the-art clubhouse."

We'll keep you posted on what develops with South Jersey Legal Services and the next state inspection happening sometime after October 3. We're told the Bureau of Housing Inspection will take enforcement action if the violations are not addressed.

Kamson Corporation, which owns Fox Meadow, said, "Everything will be completed prior to the re-inspection. The list of violations is very typical for a property with 1,492 apartments."

Kamson Corporation response:

"Thank you for taking the time to contact Kamson Corporation.

Fox Meadow strives to address each resident concerns as they are reported to us, some may take a little longer than others depending on the nature of the issue, but I can assure you that they are addressed.

The ownership does and will continue to invest in the community for our residents.

Please have residents reaching out to you, contact our management team, so they may be addressed accordingly.

Everything will be completed prior to the re-inspection. The list of violations is very typical for a property with 1,492 apartments and our maintenance supervisor is very experienced with these inspections.

Fox Meadow is in the process of building a club house with a new pool and fitness center, for our residents to enjoy. We would have like this to have been completed sooner, but like everyone else we had delays due to COVID."