Updated at 12:40 p.m. on Sept. 23: The Newtons have reached a settlement with The Vic and  CLS Living, and no longer intend to pursue legal action, the company told The Register in a Sept. 15 email.

When Brandon Newton, 19, and his mother Rhonda Newton walked into Brandon’s “new” student-apartment at The Vic, the two expected to see a clean, modern unit.

However, when the Maryland residents first entered the apartment on Aug. 18, they say they were met with aged appliances, water damaged ceilings, as well as mold and bug infestations.

“I was really disgusted and like, really creeped out,” Brandon Newton said of his reaction to the state of his apartment. “I felt robbed.” 

While her son was shocked and disgusted, Rhonda Newton was furious with what she saw. In the midst of her frustration, she recorded a video, capturing all of the unit’s issues as well as the family’s reaction to the apartment they had just paid $714 to rent.

Because she’s worked in the federal housing sector for nearly 30 years, Rhonda Newton said she believes that the state of the unit violated multiple housing codes. Originally, she took the video for evidence to show The Vic, but it quickly became larger. She is taking steps to sue over what happened.

The video, which Rhonda Newton posted to TikTok on move-in day, had 1.3 million views, 95,000 likes and 3,000 comments as of Sept. 4. Many of the people commenting sympathized or related to the Newtons’ experience at The Vic. 

“One of the worst student housing apartments in gso,” one user wrote, using the three letter shorthand for Greensboro. “This unfortunately happens every year at a lot of student apartments in Greensboro,” another person wrote. 

The Vic, at 705 Milton St., has been housing UNCG and N.C. A&T students for decades.

Originally built in 1972 and renovated in 2009, the complex has acquired a controversial reputation for being unsafe, unclean and poorly managed, which is reflected in several reviews. 

In many of The Vic’s reviews, including Rhonda Newton’s viral TikTok video, multiple residents have accused the apartments of not doing proper turnover in between residents. Like Rhonda Newton, some residents have entered units that they alleged were dirty, bug infested and sometimes littered with past residents’ belongings.

Representatives from CLS Living, The Vic’s parent company, said that this should not be a regular occurrence for residents. 

“After the bulk move-out period at the end of July, the community (The Vic) prepares each unit for new residents within a two-week window. Upon arrival, apartments should be cleaned and maintained,” Jessica Nix, chief marketing officer of CLS Living, said in an email. 

“Occasionally, vendor delays or remaining residents may impact the condition of the units. While this is not our intention, we are committed to working with each resident to address any issues and ensure a successful and comfortable move-in experience,” she said. 

In addition to allegations of improper unit turnover, The Vic has been accused of deceiving residents into thinking that the model units, which are shown to prospective residents at property tours, are exactly like the apartments they would be renting. 

Because the Newtons live five hours away from Greensboro, they did not physically tour The Vic before moving in. However, Jenise McNair, Brandon Newton’s aunt and the mother and cosigner for one of  his roommates, did. 

During her tour in May, McNair was shown a four-bedroom model unit that she was told looked exactly like the three-bedroom unit her son Jelani McNair, Brandon Newton and another roommate would be renting. 

McNair took multiple videos of the model unit and shared them with the Newtons.

According to McNair and Rhonda Newton, everyone was pleased with what they saw and decided to proceed with the leasing process. McNair and Rhonda Newton cosigned for their sons. 

Nevertheless, as Rhonda Newton said in her viral video, their unit didn’t look like what they agreed to rent.

Nix said that prospective tenants see representative model units that showcase common features and finishes in most floor plans, which is in line with industry standards.

“Please note, as indicated on our model signage and outlined in our leases, finishes, furniture and other details may vary,” she said. 

Rhonda Newton said she was very displeased with the state of the unit and deemed it uninhabitable for her son. She wanted out of the lease. 

After speaking with local property management, Rhonda Newton eventually shared her dissatisfaction with CLS Living’s regional property manager, Amanda Mills, who agreed to let Newton’s son, the other residents and their cosigners terminate their leases early. 

According to an Aug. 19 email that Rhonda Newton shared with the A&T Register, Nakia Franklin, The Vic’s general manager, sent the residents and their cosigners a lease termination confidentiality agreement. She said that everyone had to sign the agreement for their lease to be terminated.

The agreement states that in order for the residents to be refunded their first month’s rent and terminate their lease, they had to remove all social media posts about The Vic and also agree to keep all matters regarding their lease and their experience confidential.

“Please note that all social media content related to the property, staff, and/or your residency must be removed immediately,” Franklin wrote in an email. “This includes but is not limited to photos, videos, posts, reviews, captions, comments or any mentions of the community on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Google, Yelp, etc.” 

Although Rhonda Newton wanted to terminate her lease and receive a refund for August rent and the expenses associated with finding her son a new place to live, she said she couldn’t agree to the confidentiality agreement’s terms. 

After her TikTok video went viral just hours after uploading it, Newton received lots of messages from students who alleged they experienced similar, if not worse, situations at The Vic. Hearing their stories inspired Newton to take legal action. 

“The posts are out there, I’m not taking it down,” Newton told The Register. “It’s not even about moving on, it’s not even about the money. It’s just about how many other people is this happening to and they can’t say anything about it?” 

She has been reaching out to multiple entities she hoped could help her sue The Vic. 

Newton said she’s reached out to Greensboro City Council, the North Carolina Housing Coalition, the North Carolina Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division and the Greensboro Office of Code Compliance. 

She spoke to someone at the North Carolina Housing Coalition and the city but was told by both that her issue was a civil matter, limiting the organizations’ ability to take action against The Vic. 

She’s also reached out to numerous North Carolina attorneys but all of them have told her the same thing; it would be easier to just sign the lease termination agreement and put this all behind her. 

“I’m disappointed because it seems like nobody wants to take on the Goliaths of housing,” Newton said. “But I’m going to fall on my sword and do what I can.” 

The Newtons still have not signed the lease termination agreement, meaning they owe The Vic $714 every month until July 21, 2026. 

Brandon Newton said not signing the lease termination agreement is “worth the risk.” 

“Before our video, there were only a few videos about The Vic on TikTok,” he said. “But our video shows people, like me, who are new to renting that this is not a good place to live.” 

Rhonda Newton is continuing to look for legal representation and remains hopeful that her efforts will result in justice for young renters like her son. 

“I’m not willing to sign that (lease termination agreement) and I stand true to my beliefs,” she said. “I’m taking on an activist role for all the students that can’t.”