AUSTIN TENANTS' COUNCIL REP DANIEL ARMENDARIZ STATES IN A DECEMBER 7, 2017, REPLY LETTER THAT THE 'AT&T CORPORATION IN NEW JERSEY' IS THE APPARENT ACTUAL 'OWNER' OF THE APARTMENT COMPLEX IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, WHERE I MYSELF RESIDE AS AN OFFICIAL RENT-PAYING TENANT-----VILLAGE OAKS APARTMENTS, 10926 JOLLYVILLE ROAD, IN AUSTIN DISTRICT 10

On Thursday, December 7, 2017 8:33 AM, Daniel Armendariz <Daniel@housing-rights.org> wrote:


Mr. McMillan, as far as I can tell, your apartment complex does not receive any federal housing assistance (I.e. tax credit, etc.) so it would not fall under any federally regulated agency (that I can glean).
As such, it is merely a private-sector apartment complex, a privately held corporation owned by:

A T & T CORPORATION
TAX DEPT
PO BOX 7207
BEDMINSTER , NJ 07921-7207
See: http://propaccess.traviscad.org/clientdb/Property.aspx?prop_id=842669&year=2017

So, when you use the term “regulate” it depends upon what you are referring to. For example, the Texas Secretary of State (SOS) regulates corporation registrations. If the apartment complex allowed it’s corporate registration to lapse, you could report them to the SOS. For a very small fee, you can look up their corporate filing here: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/sosda/index.shtml.

But if you are worried about health and safety, you would call Austin Code Enforcement (dial 311) as they are the agency that regulates residential (and corporate) establishments for health and safety issues (I.e. water leaks, pest infestations, electrical problems, structural problems, etc.).

But if you believe that the staff at the apartment complex are acting in a fraudulent manner, you would probably do well to report them to the Texas Attorney General here: https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/file-a-consumer-complaint.

As you can see, there is no one good answer for all issues that may relate to the apartment complex. In short, there is no single agency dedicated to regulating the apartment rental industry.

If you have any further questions regarding your residential tenancy, please direct them to the counseling line at: 512-474-1961. By our policy, I cannot continue to counsel you over email.

Hope this helps.

Daniel Armendariz

Housing Advocate

Austin Tenants Council
1640-B East 2nd Street
Austin, TX 78702

Ph: 512.474.7006 Ext. 102
FAX: 512.474.0197

Nothing stated in or attached to this email is legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Always consult a licensed attorney for legal advice.