Bon Air Apartments fails latest inspection, letter to Rep. Rick Allen reveals

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - In a letter to Georgia Congressman Rick Allen, we’re finding out a local apartment complex being investigated for poor living conditions has failed its latest inspection.

Bon Air Apartments on Walton Way received a failing score of 55c* in HUD’s latest inspection of the property on June 14, 2022. The letter states that 17 points were deducted for problems with the buildings’ exteriors.

The inspection comes after Rep. Allen called for the Federal Housing Authority to launch a formal investigation into the living conditions at the complex back in April.

He cited our 2016 I-TEAM investigation that found residents were living months without heat in the winter and air in the summer. Residents in the complex also complained to News 12 about their concerns over safety, crime, drugs, and other conditions.

MORE | Bon Air Apartments’ owners give city an update on safety

MORE | What’s the status of promised changes at Bon Air Apartments?

MORE | Rep. Rick Allen calls for HUD investigation at Bon Air Apartments

Our December 2021 investigation found there had been 156 police reports filed within a one-mile radius of the apartments in six months.

District 3 Commissioner Catherine Smith McKnight said she met the new owners of the property several times. She went on a walk-through with the fire chief, who sent teams to conduct a fire inspection on the building. She said the inspection found 19 violations.

McKnight then called for code enforcement to inspect the property, where they found more than 20 additional violations.

“Redwood Housing owned this place now for over a year, and nothing has changed. Not one thing this changed,” said McKnight. “I don’t think anybody should be living in that way.”

We reached out to Redwood Housing, the owners of Bon Air and Richmond Summit in March. We asked about the progress of their short-term and long-term goals presented at commission back in January.

They told us they installed alarms at all back and side doors, and they were planning to add security cameras. They told they expected to undergo large-scale renovations within 12 months and maintenance teams were correcting the fire violations.