I received an anonymous tip today that UPi has changed its name to “My Minneapolis Apartments”. I cannot verify that this is true, but there are some interesting coincidences.
First of all, the upionline.com website is now a generic apartment-finder type of website rather than the official UPi website it used to be. See the registrant information below.
source: http://whois.domaintools.com/upionline.com
Does this mean that UPi owner and slumlord, Spiros Zorbalas, is getting out of the apartment rental business? Not likely. In fact, the domain, myminneapolisapartments.com, is registered to Zorbalas (see image below):
source: http://whois.domaintools.com/myminneapolisapartments.com
Advertisement
Yeah, I can verify this is true. They’re rebranding to avoid the flak they’re getting after a few buildings were condemned for lack of heat. They sorta got their shit together on the heat front, but now they’re trying to avoid the heat (forgive the pun) from all the bad publicity and problems with the city.
Supposedly new management is taking over according to their fliers they’ve passed out to renters, but obviously the circus master is still in the lead, so all these “improvements” are purely superficial. For the most part, UPi remains the same, it’s just putting on a better face than before.
It might be helpful to let your city councilperson know about this. I will do the same.
I rented from upi last year until Aug- I have not received my CRP as of yet so I called the office and guess what? the number is not in service. I called both caretaker numbers I have left one message and talked another guy who said he used to be a caretaker, but to have fun trying to get ahold of anyone cuz they won’t answer the door at the office ever and they don’t return calls.
I read online that I can get some sort of Rent Paid Affidavit from the dept of revenue after exhausting all other options of getting one from them. I doubt they will call me or send me one, is there someone I should go to or just contact the dept of revenue after dropping a letter off at the office?
Thanks for any help!
Carrie,
Contact your city councilperson in addition to the other channels. It is important that they know when Spiros Zorbalas and UPi break the law.
You could also try 311.
Thank you. I have emailed my city council person, will leave upi a letter and if I don’t get a response I will go to the dept of revenue to get my RPA.
I lived in the 1830 Stevens Ave building- which I just saw on this website may have lost the rental license? When I lived there we had notices posted on the door from the city twice that either the water bill had not been paid or that if some other fee was not paid that the building license would be revoked and the tennants would have 48 or so hours to move. It never actually happened during when I lived there though.
UPi has had at least one other building in which the same notices were posted, so this is not an isolated incident.
I have been contacted by a lawyer in Florida who is suing UPi’s owner, Spiros Zorbalas, and he is claiming that UPi is merely a marketing business and does not manage buildings.