Peppertree Apartments barred from adding tenants for 4 months

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The Peppertree Apartments will not be allowed to take on new tenants for at least four months.

This comes after a federal court granted the City of Memphis’ injunction to prohibit new tenants at the apartment complex.

The injunction comes after structural damage was exposed at the apartments.

Earlier this month, a walkway collapsed, which led to the apartments being cited by Memphis Code Enforcement. Two people were injured and taken to the hospital as a result.

Code enforcement issued a Notice to Correct Violation on August 3, which meant that the complex had 14 days to fix the issue, or else the city would take them to court.

However, three days before the deadline, Memphis Code Enforcement reported yet another collapse. It is uncertain which walkway was affected during this second incident.

In 2021, the complex was deemed a public nuisance following 1,600 police service calls to the complex over a 20-month period.

After the City of Memphis and Shelby County filed a nuisance petition, which calls for all services to end at the Peppertree Apartments, the apartment owners and managers sued them in federal court to keep the apartments open.

Now, the city will not allow anyone to move in for at least 120 days--a period of time that would extend until near the end of December.

“The residents at Peppertree deserve housing that is not plagued by crime and crumbling buildings. The City will continue to be vigilant and fight for the safety and quality of living conditions for the people at Peppertree,” Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Sink said in a statement.

You can read the full injunction below:

At their last court appearance, Peppertree officials were ordered to have any repairs they had done at the complex to be inspected by a structural engineer.

Tuesday, a Shelby county environmental judge will learn the findings of that inspection.

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