More than a month ago, we reported on the Providence at Baytown, where tenants had been complaining about major issues, including trash, mold, pests, unusable pools, and broken appliances.
Now, residents say they have been without hot water for a week and a half.
“Like this is the hot water right now. The pressure’s very low, and the water is lukewarm. It’s not even hot,” a resident said. “We’ve been without hot water for a week and a half.”
How uncomfortable has that been for you? I see you have a young child,” Clarke said.
“It’s very uncomfortable because I refuse to wash my dishes in cold water. That means I have to boil a pot of water just to use hot water to wash my dishes or boil a pot of hot water just so my kids can take a little wash off,” the resident replied.
Anna Stone, a tenant, said, “Anytime I try to use any type of water, it’s never hot. They fixed it like once last week, but it was only on for a couple of hours.”
“You’re paying rent to live in a place that…” Clarke began.
“I don’t have an oven right now either,” Stone interjected. “I have a stove. My oven doesn’t work, and I told them like two months ago,” she explained.
“Do you think that is mold here in your kids’ room?” Clarke asked the first resident, who asked not to be identified.
“Yes, or mildew. This is my kids’ room, and they told me basically to clean it up myself,” she said.
“And then my bathroom. They came out; I was having a plumbing issue, and this is what they did. They basically put this cover on it because we had been complaining. You can see the downstairs apartment,” she added.
“They don’t fix anything around here. Like this is the hole in my door I was talking about. Can you see it?” She pointed out.
“I have flies and stuff flying in here, or like little ants from outside because my door is basically open,” she said.
KPRC2 has been informed that the property is under new management. The manager, who says she just started May 1, told us the boiler is now fixed, the pool that was green is now clean, and she’s working to address all the other issues that have been reported here throughout the years.
We’ll keep you posted about the progress with the property.
For other people throughout the Houston metro area dealing with unfulfilled maintenance requests, attorneys with LoneStar Legal Aid suggest they write a letter requesting repairs, send it to the landlord via certified mail, or hand-deliver it.
It’s important to document this process, as it can support any potential legal action.
For utilities that go unrepaired, tenants can file a writ for restoration of utilities with their justice of the peace. This action can help compel the landlord to make necessary repairs.
For more information, contact LoneStar Legal by visiting Lonestarlegal.org or calling 713-652-0077