OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Hundreds of Myanmar refugees were forced to evacuate an Omaha apartment complex last month after the city deemed it unlivable, and now the landlord is telling some former tenants he’ll waive cleanup fees if he can keep their $400 security deposits.

Yale Park Apartments owner Kay Anderson took inventory of damages after refugees fled with what belongings they could carry as electricity and gas were shut off at the Omaha complex. City inspectors evacuated the apartments Sept. 20, citing issues such as unsafe electrical circuits, natural gas leaks and units infested with mice, bedbugs and maggots.

The city cited Anderson for nearly 2,000 building code violations. About 500 refugees were residing in Yale Park Apartments at the time, including about 175 school-age children and dozens of toddlers and babies.

Now Anderson is telling at least two former tenants that they owe fees up to $3,820 for damages such as broken light fixtures, walls that needed painting and ripped screens, according to copies of letters obtained by the Omaha World-Herald.

In a letter, Anderson and his wife, Janae, offered to forgive the damages if the tenant agreed to forfeit their $400 security deposit, as well as $200 in prepaid rent.

Anderson said he’s being more than fair, and that he agreed to return the deposits to tenants who put some effort into cleaning their apartments.

He said the letters weren’t intended to intimidate residents, but to “point out that you’ve got thousands of dollars of damage, but we’ll write it off.”

Advocates argue Anderson is trying to squeeze more money out of residents who lived in substandard apartments.

“They’re condemned buildings,” said Hannah Wyble of Restoring Dignity, the volunteer group that helped tenants file housing complaints with the city that led to inspections last month. “People didn’t have time to clean or make repairs or anything.”

Wyble noted that many of the residents didn’t speak or read English well.

“They were freaking out,” she said. “People are scared because they don’t know. Are they getting a bill?”