‘Nobody deserves to be living like this:’ Residents fed up with trash piling up at SE Houston apartment complex

HOUSTON – Residents of a southeast Houston apartment complex are fed up with trash piling up, with seemingly nothing being done about it.

The problem has been going on for well over a month, according to residents, at the Arlington Place Apartments on Edgebrook Drive.

“It’s disgusting. It makes you just wanna go somewhere else,” one resident said.

One resident KPRC 2 spoke to said the trash has been attracting gnats and flies.

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“If you go inside the apartments, we have gnats where you can’t even sit at your table and eat because the gnats are always buzzing around the table,” they said.

Residents say about a month ago, the dumpsters that were at the complex were suddenly removed. They said they have yet to get an explanation as to why they disappeared.

Before the dumpsters were removed, KPRC 2′s Rilwan Balogun was shown pictures of trash overflowing from the dumpster.

“Pick it up! Nobody should be living like this. If you’re paying over $1,300 in rent, why are you living like this?” one resident said.

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The city’s Department of Neighborhoods has been out to the apartments because there are notices around the trash, but residents say nothing has come from it.

There were several violation notices put at the leasing office doors.

One of the violations said, “remove all trash, refuse, rubbish, debris, from site immediately.” The notice was dated January 30th.

Balogun made multiple attempts at trying to reach property managers but no one answered the door or answered his phone calls.

Balogun did spot an inspector with the Department of Neighborhoods but the person didn’t get out of the car and spent roughly 15 minutes at the complex.

“If we’re constantly giving you money every month, you can’t tell me that we’re giving you this amount of money every month and someone can’t come and get this trash,” Monica Winfree asked.

Residents say despite the lack of dumpsters, the complex is still charging them for trash pickup.

“Cats are everywhere, they’re sitting on top of the trash. Homeless people are breaking into vacant apartments and living there. You call her and she’s like she doesn’t have any solution for anything. But every first of the month, you’re charging us maintenance fees, trash pickup,” Winfree said.