SAN ANTONIO \u2013 A 79-year-old San Antonio woman says she spent two weeks packing up her home for a move into a senior living apartment \u2014 only to be told just days before her move-in date that she no longer qualified for the unit she believed had been promised to her.<\/p>\n
Barbara Roesch and her caregiver, Sarah Jacobson, say the decision came after the facility, New Forest Haven, ran a credit check \u2014 despite them claiming they were told early in the process there would be no credit check.<\/p>\n
Roesch said she came to San Antonio from Oklahoma so family could help care for her as she dealt with major health problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son brought me down to take care of me from Oklahoma because I got really sick and I needed the doctors here,\u201d Roesch said. \u201cIn fact, they saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roesch said the senior living facility appeared to offer amenities and pricing that seemed like a good fit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was like $1,400 for a pool. They had a chef that made you three meals a day,\u201d Roesch said. \u201cEverything she said was, we all went several times because it was so good to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacobson said the sales process raised concerns before any lease paperwork was presented.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did a full tour. She said there was no credit check\u2014 which is important for the story,\u201d Jacobson said. \u201cAnd Barbara told her on this first meeting, well, that\u2019s great, because I have bad credit because of medical debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roesch said she paid a $200 security deposit and began packing for what she says was supposed to be a July 29 move-in date. Then, Jacobson said, Roesch got a call saying she did not qualify because of her credit.<\/p>\n
\u201cBarbara gets a call from Stacey saying, \u2018I\u2019m sorry, you don\u2019t qualify because of your credit,\u2019\u201d Jacobson said.<\/p>\n
Roesch said she was stunned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018I\u2019ve been waiting for you to call and tell me to come get the key,\u2019\u201d Roesch said. \u201c\u2018When are you going to tell me? I\u2019ve got people lined up, I\u2019ve packed\u2019 \u2014 and it was like, \u2018too bad.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Roesch also said she still hasn\u2019t gotten her $200 deposit back and says her name isn\u2019t on the paperwork tied to the deposit.<\/p>\n
When KSAT went to the facility seeking answers, no one agreed to speak on camera. Phone calls to management also went unanswered, and a staff member said questions would need to be handled by a home office.<\/p>\n
Roesch says a complaint has been filed with the Texas Attorney General\u2019s Consumer Protection Division.<\/p>\n
If this happens to you: tips and what to do<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re looking for an apartment \u2014 especially senior living \u2014 here are steps to protect yourself and your money:<\/p>\n
Red flags to watch for<\/p>\n
Promises of discounts, package deals, or \u201ctoo good to be true\u201d pricing before you see a lease<\/p>\n
Being asked for a security deposit before anything is signed<\/p>\n
Verbal assurances like \u201cno credit check\u201d that aren\u2019t in writing<\/p>\n
What to do before paying any deposit<\/p>\n
Ask for everything in writing (pricing, move-in date, refund policy, credit\/background check policy)<\/p>\n
Request a copy of the lease and fee schedule before handing over money<\/p>\n
Get a receipt showing exactly what the deposit is for, who it\u2019s paid to, and how it\u2019s refunded<\/p>\n
Confirm who you are dealing with (full name, title, and a corporate contact)<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re told you don\u2019t qualify after you\u2019ve paid<\/p>\n
Ask for a written explanation of the denial and which criteria you didn\u2019t meet<\/p>\n
Request an immediate refund in writing and keep copies of all emails\/texts and receipts<\/p>\n
Document everything: dates, times, names, and what was said on calls or in person<\/p>\n
File complaints if needed, including with:<\/p>\n
Texas Attorney General \u2013 Consumer Protection Division (as Roesch says she did)<\/p>\n
Better Business Bureau<\/p>\n
Your local city\/county consumer affairs office (if applicable)<\/p>\n
Practical next-step planning<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t schedule movers or cancel your current housing until you have keys or a signed lease with a confirmed move-in date.<\/p>\n
Bring a trusted family member\/caregiver to tours and meetings to help take notes and ask questions.<\/p>\n
Read also:<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 A 79-year-old San Antonio woman says she spent two weeks packing up her home for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394080,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[3222,82,84,83],"class_list":["post-394079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-housing","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=394079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=394079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=394079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=394079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}