LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas family's desperate plea for help has exposed what housing advocates say is a pattern of neglect by a major corporate landlord, where tenants are forced to live in conditions that threaten their health and safety.
13 Investigates: This family's fight for safe housing reveals a bigger problem in Las Vegas
The Higuera family contacted 13 Investigates after feeling trapped in their Wood Ridge Villas apartment near Eastern and Owens, where toxic black mold covers walls and ceilings, making their children sick.
"The mold built up the rashes on our skin. And we've been really congested, sneezing, coughing a lot," said Nia, 10, who has asthma that her family says has worsened due to the mold exposure.
"I'm scared that it's going to make my lungs not function properly," Nia said.
Alejandro Higuera and his wife, Ruby Fernandez, live in the small three-bedroom, two-bath apartment with their four children and three bulldogs. The family can only use one bathroom because the second is completely covered in mold. Cracked ceilings, buckling floorboards, and bubbling walls plague the unit, along with constant water leaks behind appliances.
The situation became dangerous when a nail-riddled piece of moldy ceiling fell on Alejandro's head while he was showering, sending him to the hospital with a head injury, bruising and dizziness.
"I went back and hit my back against the shower. I thought the whole ceiling was going to collapse, so I just jumped out. I was in panic mode," Alejandro said.
"It's a nightmare," Ruby said.
The problems began in December 2024 under the property's previous ownership. Westland Realty Group, a large corporate landlord, bought the complex and took over management at the end of September 2025.
Westland declined an on-camera interview but said in a statement that "Wood Ridge Villas was not up to Westland's standards for residential living, so Westland directly began repairing and rehabilitating the community."
However, the family says proper mold remediation has not occurred.
"What have they done in this unit to properly remediate the mold problem?" I asked.
"Properly remediate? They haven't," Ruby said.
A mold inspection report the family paid for documents "major" amounts of toxic black mold, water damage and "extensive fungal growth." The report shows bathroom fans don't work and faucets won't shut off, with the inspector saying a certified mold remediation company was needed, noting existing "improper repairs."
 Higuera Family |  Higuera Family |  Higuera Family |
Instead of sending mold remediation professionals, Westland sent a handyman crew this week to replace drywall without addressing the mold underneath.
"You can't just cover it up or put a patch on it. There are standards and protocols to eliminate the mold and get rid of the mold. And those must be followed," said Jordan Savage at Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.
He described conditions in the apartment as, "Horrific. Nobody should be living in these conditions. And a landlord who really cared about customer service would be mortified that they are giving a unit in exchange for rent that doesn't meet the basic standards of human decency."
Westland offered to relocate the family to an upstairs unit, but the family declined, wanting the same type of downstairs unit they're currently paying for because of their dogs. Westland also offered temporary relocation to Siegel Suites, which prohibits large dogs. And, the company offered a move to a sister property, but at a cost of $600 more per month, which the family cannot afford. They currently pay $1240 per month.
"Charging them additional money when they've already gone through hell and they've already suffered with these conditions, their (Westland's) responsibility should be to move them, whatever it costs. It shouldn't come out of the tenant's pocket," Savage said.
Westland made a final offer for a ground floor unit at Wood Ridge ready later this month, but required the family to re-submit paperwork for their dogs despite already being approved. The family's current lease runs through February 2026.
"They want me to re-submit the paperwork for my dogs. My dogs were already included when I renewed my lease," Ruby said.
"To send the tenant through any additional hoops, especially hoops that were already approved previously, is an outrage," Savage said.
Westland owns over 65 multi-family communities across Los Angeles County and Clark County, with over 12,000 residential units. Thirty-four of their properties are in Las Vegas.
"It feels like we're small compared to them. Like we don't have a voice," Ruby said.
Tenants at other Westland properties have reported similar issues to 13 Investigates, including backed up sinks, broken water heaters and moldy bathrooms at Pine Village Apartments near Sahara and Valley View, cockroach infestations at Solaire Apartments on Maryland Parkway, and rat infestations at Westland Villas at Desert Pointe.
In 2019, Westland faced a lawsuit after a Solaire tenant died in a fire at the complex.
Savage says the pattern indicates systemic problems.
"If there's a pattern and practice of this, we want to know and we want to be the ones suing those landlords, holding their feet to the fire, making sure they comply with Nevada law, because on our watch, we're not gonna let this happen," Savage said.
On Nov. 7, Westland served the Fernandez/Higuera family an eviction notice for not paying rent in October or November. They are working with Legal Aid to fight the eviction while seeking time to move without damaging their rental record.
Click here for LACSN's step-by-step guide to complaining to your landlord.
Full statement from Westland Real Estate Group
"Westland’s mission is to provide safe and stable housing communities and Westland works hard to improve the lives of its residents and their residential communities.
Westland just recently purchased the Wood Ridge Villas community at the end of September 2025. Wood Ridge Villas was not up to Westland’s standards for residential living so Westland directly began repairing and rehabilitating the community to bring Wood Ridge Villas up to Westland’s standards. Upon learning from the Fernandez/Higuera family in October 2025 that there were concerns with the habitability of their unit, Westland immediately took steps to repair the unit and attempted to safeguard and relocate the Fernandez/Higuera family. Westland offered the family many options, including transferring to a different unit within the community, transferring to one of Westland’s sister properties, or temporarily relocating to a hotel or other short-term housing at no cost to the family. Unfortunately, the family refused all options. The family refused to transfer to an onsite unit because the only available onsite three-bedroom unit was upstairs and, because they have three large dogs, they would only consider a downstairs unit. The family refused to transfer to a sister property because of the price difference and refused to temporarily relocate to a hotel or other short-term housing because they did not believe a hotel or short-term housing would accommodate their three large dogs. The family was recently notified that a downstairs unit onsite will be available for transfer in two-to-three weeks. Westland also let the family know that if they would rather just terminate their lease, Westland would release them from their lease with no penalties or late fees and allow them plenty of time to secure new housing and move out. Repairs to the family’s unit are ongoing."
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