Tenants in Raleigh apartment complex forced to live without air conditioning
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Residents of a Raleigh apartment complex are sweating out the record heat wave without any air conditioning.
Residents told ABC11 that their A/C has been broken for two weeks now, and the management has given them nothing but excuses and threats.
"Last night, none of us could sleep in here," said renter Jennifer Fernandez.
There's not much Fernandez wants to do in her apartment. Her three fans are just blowing hot air at this point. Her 1-year old is soaked in sweat, and her 4-year old's asthma has been acting up since the air conditioner went out two weeks ago.
Next to the thermostat that reads in the 80s, the family has a sign that reads "Faith will see us through." They've got faith, but in the hot apartment they're quickly losing patience.
"They come, they put a little Freon in, and then [they] just leave, and it breaks again," said Fernandez. "And now it's been like this. You can't even breathe in here. You can't even breathe!"
Fernandez said she's been getting the runaround from her landlord at the Casa de Luna Apartments in northeast Raleigh. She said the management office tells her the repair man is backlogged in broken air conditioners at the complex, and she has to "wait her turn."
We heard similar horror stories from Fernandez' neighbors as well.
"It was miserable. The meter was reading 83 degrees in the house," said renter Cassandra Reese.
"They have no A/C. We all have no A/C. I have asthma. They have asthma," said Gabe Cabrel, who also lives in the complex. "They're suffering worse. They can't even breathe".
Fernandez said she's received threats instead of relief.
"I've been patient. I tell [the management company] I will withhold the rent, and they tell us it's illegal. They will kick us out."
Fernandez's landlord is at least half-right. North Carolina law does not allow tenants to withhold rent.
However, landlords are legally obligated to make timely repairs in emergencies. Fernandez could have a case in small claims court to recoup her rent.
Fernandez is red in the face over the ordeal and her apartment has turned blue.
"We had to paint our apartment blue because the whole apartment turned green because of the mold because it's too hot and too damp in here," she said.
ABC11 was not allowed to speak to the on-site property manager at Casa de Luna on Tuesday.
The building is owned by a Florida company called Monument Real Estate Services. ABC11 reached out to the company late Tuesday afternoon and did not hear back.
