By Paige Orr, FOX23.com News Staff
TULSA, Okla. — City leaders, legal advocates and state representatives gathered Thursday night to host a public information session aimed at helping tenants navigate the ongoing crisis surrounding Vesta property management.
The meeting drew a packed house, with renters coming from almost every affected complex—including even one resident who drove in from Bartlesville—along with former Vesta employees and local business owners seeking solutions.
For weeks, residents across multiple complexes have dealt with severe maintenance delays, uncollected trash and confusion surrounding property ownership.
John Kinnear, a resident at the Barcelona Apartments, said he attended the session to find out how many neighbors are in his situation.
He said he’s been living without working air conditioning during the brutal summer heat while also dealing with an ongoing ceiling leak.
“My particular emergency right now is that I don’t have any air conditioning and the upstairs unit is leaking into mine and has been for six months. Those are the emergency things.”
The overwhelming majority of attendees were seniors from Woodland Manor, a 55-and-older community left in limbo without new management in place.
Woodland Manor resident Cherie McGuire said she made the decision to move out to escape the mounting stress, but was completely shocked when Vesta told her she owed thousands of dollars in early lease termination fees.
“I came to find out if that’s legal for them to do that and also just to see what they had to say about what resources we had available to us in the city to help us with our questions,” McGuire said.
Legal Aid representatives at the session informed McGuire that uncollected trash and unpaid municipal services could constitute a breach of contract by management, giving tenants legal standing to challenge early termination penalties.
It wasn’t just residents seeking accountability on Thursday night.
Noah Milliken with Priority Roofing drove in from the Oklahoma City area specifically for the meeting.
Milliken said Vesta owes his company more than $100,000 for roof repairs and accumulated late fees after submitting bounced checks.
“Last one, I got ghosted,” Milliken stated. “He paid $2,500 toward just over a $100,000 bill now with late fees. So yeah, [it’s] been 17 months and got a couple of bad checks in the middle of that.”
Tenant advocate Hannah Remick, who previously worked for Vesta before being fired after speaking up about the company in 2025, also attended the meeting to assist residents.
She emphasized that the core obstacles for renters is knowing who is actually in charge.
“Fragmented accountability,” Remick explained. “Often residents will reach out and not hear anything. There’s just a huge amount of confusion about who’s actually responsible for their homes.”
Tulsa City Councilor Lori Decter Wright and Legal Aid attorneys spent the evening answering tenant questions, particularly regarding upcoming rent payments.
Legal Aid advised tenants preparing to pay August rent to keep detailed, written receipts for every payment and to only pay entities that have provided official, documented notice of management rights.
While the resource session provided immediate legal guidance, residents said full relief will only come when long-term management is settled and basic repairs are finally made.
