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EVERETT—A disabled veteran, Matthew Rhodes, says he is being forced to live in, what he considers to be, “uninhabitable” conditions after a neighbor upstairs caused flooding which severely damaged his Everett apartment. The apartment complex says habitability was established by a professional third-party vendor, however.

Rhodes moved into the Helm Apartments – located at 128 127^th Street Southeast — in July 2023 and informed the Lynnwood Times he has been without incident until Olympus Properties – a Texas-based apartment management company – took over about six months ago.

Since then, his rent has increased while both the maintenance and upkeep of the apartment complex has plummeted, he informed the Lynnwood Times.

Rhodes added that when he noticed a listing for another unit going for a lower rate, which matched the square footage, and layout of his own, he asked the management company if they could match that rate but was told no.

On March 15, 2025, Rhodes’ neighbor – who lives in the unit directly above his own – overfilled their bathtub, according to Rhodes, leading to significant water damage in his apartment below; including electrical damage, and damaged flooring and walls. 

Though Olympus Properties state they responded immediately to the issue, Rhodes says a third party maintenance crew did not show up until Monday, March 17, when they began ripping up the flooring, tearing down walls, and told Rhodes he must continually let 12 large industrial fans run 24/7 at his electricity bill’s expense.

“It’s a construction zone,” said Rhodes. “But they keep telling me it’s still habitable.”

Rhodes, who suffers from anxiety and PTSD, informed the Lynnwood Times the constant drone of the fans was driving him, and his service dog, crazy but was told by Olympus Properties that he would be responsible for paying damages if he refused to let them run.

“I can’t live in here with them running twenty-four-seven, and my dog is very stressed out,” said Rhodes.

In addition to the constant, loud, noise, Rhodes said the fans are blowing particles of drywall all over his apartment which has caused him, and his dog, breathing problems. Rhodes suffers from Chronic Bronchitis and his landlord was made aware of his condition(s) at the time his lease was signed.

Separate to the persistent fans, Rhodes’ apartment has gutted baseboards with exposed nails, as well as damaged electrical cords creating a potential fire and safety hazard.

Rhodes told the Lynnwood Times he was never offered another unit to stay at, while the construction is ongoing with no end in sight, nor has the property management offered to get him a hotel to stay at temporarily.

The property management company has, instead, informed him to use his personal renter’s insurance to pay for any inconveniences though the claims he made have been delayed due to the apartment complex considering his apartment to still be habitable.

When Rhodes inquired about terminating his lease, he said he was told by Olympus Properties that he would be responsible for the nearly $4,000 fee of early termination, in addition for being held responsible for paying cleaning fees. Rhodes has already incurred personal expenses paying for a hotel in Lynnwood while repairs continue.

Olympus Spa confirmed with the Lynnwood Times that Rhodes was never asked to pay a lease-break fee nor cleaning fees, however.

At that point Rhodes secured an Attorney, Clyde Shavers, Washington State Representative and Attorney at Law at Lyda Law Group, and escalated matters to the U.S. Department of Housing and Home Development, the Washington State HUD Office, and Snohomish County Code Enforcement.

Shavers found that the property management company was in violation of RCW 59.18.060, the U.S. Fair Housing Act, and argued that Olympus Properties was discriminating against Rhodes for his disabilities.

Olympus Properties’ Attorney, Bradley Kraus, with Warren Allen, argued that the apartment complex was not at fault for the flooding, was not discriminatory of Rhodes’ disabilities, and Rhodes’ decision to switch off the fans – against management instruction – had further delayed repair efforts potentially making him liable for claims. Kraus further found that the apartment complex was not in violation of any statutory requirements.

Olympus Properties offered Rhodes the option of terminating his lease early with the $3,706 fee waived.

Rhodes refused to sign the lease termination agreement based on the contract’s terms which required him to agree to confidentiality that he would not engage in disparaging remarks about the property company. Rhodes was also required to disclose his future address, which he felt unsafe doing believing it would set him up for potential retaliation.

Both parties are currently working on a resolution and hope to come to an agreement soon.

When reaching out to Attorney Clyde Shavers, he informed us to direct all of our questions to Rhodes.

Olympus Properties issued the Lynnwood Times the following statement:

“Our focus is always on delivering an outstanding experience for residents and believe this is a mischaracterization of the situation. We worked diligently to ensure residents impacted by this accidental flooding were provided appropriate support, including options to transfer apartments or terminate their lease without any penalty, while necessary repairs were underway. This resident previously agreed to move out of the community, and we remain in direct communication to fully resolve his concerns.”

This is a developing story, please check back soon for more updates.

Editor’s Note: Article updated on Wednesday, April 9, after speaking with an Olympus Properties spokesperson, in order to reflect their viewpoint.

Author: Kienan Briscoe