Watch CBS News

Stockton Apartment Complex Damaged In Storm Has Never Been Inspected By The City

STOCKTON (CBS13) — The apartment complex where ceilings collapsed over the weekend has never been inspected by the city, instead, the city allowed this building to be self-certified.

All the owners had to do was fill out a form certifying they inspected the property themselves, allowing them to avoid inspection by code enforcement, otherwise required every five years under city code.

The city does randomly inspect 10% of the self-certified buildings, and they say they inspect any rental building when they get complaints. Even though tenants at the Meadow Green apartments say they have complained to the property managers about structural problems, the city says it has no record of any serious complaints, just nuisance issues such as garbage and graffiti.

READ MORE: 55 Units Deemed "Unsafe" At Stockton Apartment Complex Following Sunday's Storm

Unlike other cities where complaint records and inspections are easily accessible online, in Stockton, you have to submit a public record request to see complaints, which CBS13 filed Tuesday.

So far, we received copies of the most recent certification, a three-page document with some checkmarks and signatures. Other cities also allow self-certification but often require at least an initial physical inspection by code enforcement.

Some also require property managers to do online training before they can self certify. As far as we know, Stockton does not require such training.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.