(https://gmpg.org/xfn/11) (https://fonts.googleapis.com) (https://fonts.gstatic.com)  (../../../fonts.googleapis.com/css@family=Oswald%253Awght@200..700&display=swap.css) (../../../fonts.googleapis.com/css@family=Oswald%253Awght@200..700&display=swap.css)  (../../../fonts.googleapis.com/css@family=Noto+Sans%253A300,400,400i,700%257CNoto+Serif%253A400,700%257COpen+Sans%253A300,300i,400,400i,500,700&display=swap.css) (../../../cdn.jsdelivr.net/jquery.slick/1.6.0/slick-theme.css) (../../../cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/7.0.0/css/all.min.css) (../../../cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/7.0.0/css/all.min.css)   ‘False advertisement at its finest’: Tenants seek release from poor apartment conditions - The Dispatch  (index.html)                  (https://static.addtoany.com/)  (https://e4sh3cjh5t7.exactdn.com/)  (https://e4sh3cjh5t7.exactdn.com/)  (The Dispatch » Feed) (https://cdispatch.com/feed/)  (The Dispatch » iCal Feed) (https://cdispatch.com/events/?ical=1)  (../../wp-content/plugins/leaky-paywall/css/lp-list-builder.css@ver=5.1.7.css)  (../../wp-content/plugins/wpb-custom-addons/includes/css/style.css@ver=9810204.css)  (../../wp-content/plugins/leaky-paywall/css/issuem-leaky-paywall.css@ver=5.1.7.css)  (../../wp-content/plugins/leaky-paywall-trials/css/style.css@ver=1.9.6.css)  (../../wp-content/themes/commercial_dispatch_v3/css/theme.min.css@ver=.1767201025.css)  (../../wp-content/themes/commercial_dispatch_v3/css/style.css@ver=1785853669.css)  (../../wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/addtoany.min.css@ver=1.16.css)  (https://cdispatch.com/wp-json/tribe/events/v1/)  (../../../e4sh3cjh5t7.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cropped-dispatch-red-d-logo-2.png@strip=all&resize=32,32)  (../../../e4sh3cjh5t7.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cropped-dispatch-red-d-logo-2.png@strip=all&resize=192,192)  (https://e4sh3cjh5t7.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cropped-dispatch-red-d-logo-2.png?strip=all&resize=180%2C180)      (index.html#content) Skip to content (Site search)  (index.html#) Sections    (https://cdispatch.com/obituaries/) Obituaries  (https://cdispatch.com/eedition/) eEdition  (https://ads.cdispatch.com) Classifieds  (https://cdispatch.com/events/) Events  (https://donate.cdispatch.com) Donate     (https://cdispatch.com/) (Dispatch Mobile Logo)   (https://cdispatch.com/subscribe/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=offer_button&utm_content=top) Subscribe  (https://cdispatch.com/login-page) Login      (search...)    August 29, 2026     QUICK LINKS (https://cdispatch.com/obituaries/) Obituaries  (https://cdispatch.com/eedition/) eEdition  (https://ads.cdispatch.com) Classifieds  (https://cdispatch.com/events/) Events  (https://donate.cdispatch.com) Donate   (https://cdispatch.com/news/) News  (https://cdispatch.com/news/columbus-lowndes-county/) Columbus & Lowndes County  (https://cdispatch.com/news/starkville-oktibbeha-county/) Starkville & Oktibbeha County  (https://cdispatch.com/news/west-point-clay-county/) West Point & Clay County  (https://cdispatch.com/news/area/) Area  (https://cdispatch.com/news/state/) State  (https://cdispatch.com/news/national/) National  (https://cdispatch.com/news/business/) Business   (https://cdispatch.com/sports/) Sports  (https://cdispatch.com/sports/high-school-sports/) High School Sports  (https://cdispatch.com/sports/college-sports/) College Sports  (https://cdispatch.com/sports/local-columns-sports/) Local Columns   (https://cdispatch.com/eedition/) eEdition   (https://cdispatch.com/events/) Events   (https://cdispatch.com/opinions/) Opinions  (https://cdispatch.com/opinions/local-columns/) Local Columns  (https://cdispatch.com/opinions/letters-to-the-editor/) Letters to the Editor  (https://cdispatch.com/opinions/roses-thorns/) Roses & Thorns  (https://cdispatch.com/opinions/dispatch-editorials/) Dispatch Editorials   (https://cdispatch.com/obituaries/) Obituaries   (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/) Lifestyles  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/columns-lifestyle/) Columns  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/entertainment/) Entertainment  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/food/) Food  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/transitions-announcements/) Transitions & Announcements  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/community/) Community  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/religion/) Religion   (http://ads.cdispatch.com/) Classifieds   (https://cdispatch.com/gallery/) Photo Galleries   (https://cdispatch.com/public-records/) Public Records  (https://cdispatch.com/public-records/building-permits/) Building Permits  (https://cdispatch.com/public-records/marriages-divorces/) Marriages & Divorces   (https://cdispatch.com/subscriber-profile/) My Account        August 29, 2026   (https://cdispatch.com/) (Dispatch Logo) Open eyes, open minds.     Serving Columbus & Starkville, Mississippi        (https://cdispatch.com/) Home  » (https://cdispatch.com/news/) News  » ‘False advertisement at its finest’: Tenants seek release from poor apartment conditions   (https://cdispatch.com/news/) News   ‘False advertisement at its finest’: Tenants seek release from poor apartment conditions Trash, mold, broken HVAC greet students during move in, sparking calls for lease cancellations, partial refunds By (https://cdispatch.com/author/bsimmons/) Braden Simmons  • August 21, 2026  6 mins to read  (‘False advertisement at its finest’: Tenants seek release from poor apartment conditions)   Shonece Woods, a junior at Mississippi State University, points to an uncleaned air vent Thursday at her apartment at the Yugo Starkville Campus Common in Oktibbeha County. Peyton Howard, a junior at Mississippi State University who is living in the apartment complex, told The Dispatch he and his roommates are considering filing breach of contract civil suits with the apartment complex for issues ranging from mold to broken appliances found when they moved in Aug. 14. Braden Simmons/Dispatch Staff  OKTIBBEHA COUNTY – A garbage bag ripped and trash spread by the front door. Dirt scattered across the bedroom floor. A big gash through the kitchen’s stovetop. Those were just a few of the issues that greeted Peyton Howard, a junior mechanical engineering major at Mississippi State University, when he walked into his apartment during move-in day Aug. 14 at the Yugo Starkville Campus Common on Ace Avenue off Oktoc Road. That is once he got into his bedroom. “They had to get a drill and drill my lock off because they told me … nobody’s been able to open this door for about two years,” Howard told The Dispatch on Thursday. “… And then the second you open my room, it is just dirt (and) dust. … (My room) didn’t have a chair, desk, or bed, and then you walk into the bathroom, and (it’s backed up).” While the area was cleaned by apartment complex staff, Howard, his roommates and their parents are still awaiting a response to requested repairs to broken appliances they found during move-in, including to the stovetop, washing machine and dryer. The conditions were a far cry from the “move-in ready” Howard said residents were promised. (https://cdispatch.com/news/false-advertisement-at-its-finest-tenants-seek-release-from-poor-apartment-conditions/attachment/bs-stk-apartments-photo2/) ()    Neal Gunter, a junior at Mississippi State University, holds up a broken piece of his shower Thursday in his apartment at the Yugo Starkville Campus Common in Oktibbeha County. Gunter is one of several residents considering requesting release from his lease agreement after receiving no correspondence from property management about issues in his apartment since he moved in last week. Braden Simmons/Dispatch Staff    Even though he and his roommates are frustrated by what they allege was a breach of their lease agreement due to the room’s condition, Howard said they feel lucky compared to other tenants who are dealing with more distressing issues like mold, insect infestations and broken air conditioning units. Natasha Olive, the mother of an MSU student living in the apartments, said she and her son were some of those less fortunate who found animal droppings, dead bugs and broken appliances in the apartment. But even after cleaning the room themselves, the issues did not stop Friday, Olive said. “Now the issue we’re having is his air is not working,” Olive said. “He had to go and buy a fan to try to keep cool. The air is messed up. … The stove is horrible. The outside of the complex looks like it’s nasty. They’ve either just swept down all the trash from the top level, and … it dropped behind the stairs. It’s just filth. … I’ve never experienced anything like this.” Olive and Howard agreed that they, alongside dozens of other residents experiencing issues, plan to ask the apartment complex for a partial repayment of their first month’s rent or alternative compensation considering the conditions they found their apartments in last week. (https://cdispatch.com/news/false-advertisement-at-its-finest-tenants-seek-release-from-poor-apartment-conditions/attachment/bs-stk-apartments-photo3/) ()    Peyton Howard, a junior at Mississippi State University, points to a cut through one of the burners on a stovetop Thursday in his apartment at the Yugo Starkville Campus Common in Oktibbeha County. Howard said the gash in the stove top was just one of several issues, including a backed up toilet and dirt and dust strewn about his room, that he found when he moved into the complex last week. Braden Simmons/Dispatch Staff    Both Olive and Howard said they had previously taken tours of other apartments at the complex that were not in the same condition as the ones they leased. If those requests for repayment go unanswered, Howard and his two roommates expect to break their lease agreements and file a civil suit for breach of contract against the company. “We want either some kind of compensation, like get all of our utilities fixed within this time frame, lower the rent, something,” Howard said. “We need some sort of compensation because the way that it was in here, that’s not something you can just let slide.” In an emailed statement to The Dispatch, Yugo Global Communications Director Jo MacAdie said that the company is aware of “a small percentage of units” at the complex requiring additional attention since move-in. She declined to comment about whether tenants would be compensated for how the rooms were found. “We are addressing the concerns raised by affected residents and are focused on helping them settle into their new homes,” the statement reads. Howard said as someone who moved to the area after two years at Jones College in Ellisville, he was shocked the county didn’t have a code enforcement officer or building codes for apartment complexes or other residences. “I think that there almost needs to be some kind of county representative that inspects these buildings themselves,” Howard said. “I would say there needs to be somebody hired for the county that comes in and inspects these buildings because they’re just screwing people out of money. … It’s false advertisement at its finest.” County response Wayne Carpenter, county administrator, said the board of supervisors ultimately cannot do anything to deal with these sorts of issues. (https://cdispatch.com/news/recent-cold-snap-sparks-questions-over-safe-room-access/attachment/carpenter-wayne-2026-2/) ()    Wayne Carpenter    “The county has no apartment codes or rental codes or anything of that nature,” Carpenter said. “We’re treating this the only way we can treat it, which is, this is a civil matter, breach of contract between the lessee and the lessor.” But issues like those at Yugo highlight the need to implement something, District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer said. The board since February 2025 has been (https://cdispatch.com/news/comprehensive-plan-in-works-for-oktibbeha/) mulling over the implementation of county-wide building codes as part of its updated comprehensive plan, which covers county goals, land use, transportation and community facilities. During public discussions for that plan, residents (https://cdispatch.com/news/will-oktibbeha-get-countywide-building-codes/) voiced concerns over the implementation of invasive zoning and building codes, but there was largely support on the board for implementing a baseline. In January, the board (https://cdispatch.com/news/supervisors-prepare-to-launch-first-phase-of-countywide-comprehensive-plan/) approved moving forward with the first phase of that plan but left building codes and zoning out for the time to develop a better idea of what it wanted to implement. (https://cdispatch.com/news/supes-again-take-steps-toward-selling-och/attachment/trainer-orlando-2024/) ()    Orlando Trainer    “You have got to have guidelines,” Trainer said. “People have got to know what the expectations are. And it’s like there’s no way you can know all the laws on the book, but the law needs to be on the book to where if you (have) an idea (then) you can research it, and your research will give you what you need to be in compliance. … It’s just a process where we (have) got to have something in place, and we (have) got to move on it. And I’m not saying the sky’s falling, but this thing didn’t just all of a sudden happen.” During a supervisors’ meeting Monday, there was discussion of developing a staff position to handle code enforcement as well as deal with planning and development broadly in conjunction with the county engineer and other county departments, Carpenter said. Trainer said for that position to really have an impact, the county needs to flesh out a foundation of building ordinances that is specific in their requirements for homes, apartment complexes and other properties built in the county. “(We have to) try to cover it from all angles,” Trainer said. “I mean, there’s no way I can spin it or twist it. I mean, just start with something, and then one thing about a law or code, you can always come back and amend it. But if you don’t have anything, what can you amend?” (https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdispatch.com%2Fnews%2Ffalse-advertisement-at-its-finest-tenants-seek-release-from-poor-apartment-conditions%2F&linkname=%E2%80%98False%20advertisement%20at%20its%20finest%E2%80%99%3A%20Tenants%20seek%20release%20from%20poor%20apartment%20conditions) (Copy Link)  (https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdispatch.com%2Fnews%2Ffalse-advertisement-at-its-finest-tenants-seek-release-from-poor-apartment-conditions%2F&linkname=%E2%80%98False%20advertisement%20at%20its%20finest%E2%80%99%3A%20Tenants%20seek%20release%20from%20poor%20apartment%20conditions) (Email)  (https://www.addtoany.com/share)      You can help your community Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.   (https://cdispatch.com/subscribe/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=offer_button&utm_content=below-article-cta) Subscribe    You can help your community Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.   (https://cdispatch.com/subscribe/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=offer_button&utm_content=below-article-cta) Subscribe     READER FAVORITES (https://cdispatch.com/news/coo-jammie-garrett-suspended-for-misconduct/) (COO Jammie Garrett suspended for ‘misconduct’) (COO Jammie Garrett suspended for ‘misconduct’)    (https://cdispatch.com/news/coo-jammie-garrett-suspended-for-misconduct/) (COO Jammie Garrett suspended for ‘misconduct’) COO Jammie Garrett suspended for ‘misconduct’  By (https://cdispatch.com/author/zack-plair/) Zack Plair  • 2 days ago    (https://cdispatch.com/news/man-arrested-after-smashing-up-er-waiting-room/) (Man arrested after smashing up ER waiting room) (Man arrested after smashing up ER waiting room)    (https://cdispatch.com/news/man-arrested-after-smashing-up-er-waiting-room/) (Man arrested after smashing up ER waiting room) Man arrested after smashing up ER waiting room  By (https://cdispatch.com/author/bsimmons/) Braden Simmons  • 2 days ago    (https://cdispatch.com/news/starkville-projects-additional-2-1-million-from-property-tax/) (Starkville projects additional $2.1 million from property tax) (Starkville projects additional $2.1 million from property tax)    (https://cdispatch.com/news/starkville-projects-additional-2-1-million-from-property-tax/) (Starkville projects additional $2.1 million from property tax) Starkville projects additional $2.1 million from property tax  By (https://cdispatch.com/author/pgreencdispatch-com/) Paloma Green  • 2 days ago    (https://cdispatch.com/news/rent-a-revolving-door-and-a-cookbook-the-story-of-starkville-arts-councils-closure/) (Rent, a revolving door and a cookbook: The story of Starkville Arts Council’s closure) (Rent, a revolving door and a cookbook: The story of Starkville Arts Council’s closure)    (https://cdispatch.com/news/rent-a-revolving-door-and-a-cookbook-the-story-of-starkville-arts-councils-closure/) (Rent, a revolving door and a cookbook: The story of Starkville Arts Council’s closure) Rent, a revolving door and a cookbook: The story of Starkville Arts Council’s closure  By (https://cdispatch.com/author/akingcdispatch-com/) Ashlynd King  • 23 hours ago              (https://cdispatch.com/popular-content/) Popular  (https://cdispatch.com/news/coo-jammie-garrett-suspended-for-misconduct/) COO Jammie Garrett suspended for ‘misconduct’  August 27, 2026     (https://cdispatch.com/news/mary-means-business-columbus-downtown-regions-building-is-under-contract/) Mary Means Business: Columbus downtown Regions building is under contract  August 27, 2026     (https://cdispatch.com/news/man-arrested-after-smashing-up-er-waiting-room/) Man arrested after smashing up ER waiting room  August 27, 2026     (https://cdispatch.com/news/starkville-projects-additional-2-1-million-from-property-tax/) Starkville projects additional $2.1 million from property tax  August 27, 2026         On This Day in 2025  (https://cdispatch.com/sports/mbk-update-sergej-macura-eligibility-and-staff-changes/) (MSU MBK Update: Sergej Macura eligibility and staff changes)    (https://cdispatch.com/sports/mbk-update-sergej-macura-eligibility-and-staff-changes/) MSU MBK Update: Sergej Macura eligibility and staff changes  August 29, 2025 By Colin Damms          Featured Podcasts  (https://www.buzzsprout.com/645052) (The C Dispatch Podcast)   (https://cdispatch.com/podcast/) (Between The Headlines Podcast)        (https://cdispatch.com/) (The Dispatch)   Serving Columbus & Starkville, Mississippi. (https://www.facebook.com/TheDispatch/)   (https://www.instagram.com/cdispatch/)   (https://x.com/cdispatch)    (https://cdispatch.com/about/) About  (https://cdispatch.com/tips/) Submit a Tip    Newsletter Our headlines, delivered to your inbox. Sign up for Morning Shot , our flagship daily briefing of the day's news.  (1)  Email address (you@example.com)  Sign up  ()   (https://cdispatch.com/newsletters/) See all newsletters → Free. Unsubscribe anytime.       Info (https://ads.cdispatch.com) Classifieds  (https://progressmag.com) Progress Magazine  (https://lowndesil.org) Free Books for Kids  (https://donate.cdispatch.com) Donate for Journalism     Contact (tel:6623282424) (662) 328-2424  Newsroom 516 Main Street Columbus, MS 39701 Mailing PO Box 511 Columbus, MS 39703       Copyright © 2026 Commercial Dispatch Publishing Co., Inc.  (https://cdispatch.com/terms/) Terms (https://cdispatch.com/privacy/) Privacy       Unlock this article. Just sign in. Have an account? Sign in. New here? Get more access in seconds. Email Address () (Enter your email)    Continue  Yes! I would like to receive content in my inbox.       Keep reading - subscribe today You're one step away from unlimited access to the most in-depth Golden Triangle reporting available. (https://cdispatch.com/subscribe/) Get Unlimited Access      (index.html#top) (ToTop)