"I have four kids and myself. Who wants to take a bath in dirty water? You know like it's disgusting. It feels disgusting in there washing, but I still feel disgusting because I'm standing in dirty water," Keana Spivery said. Spivery is talking about the condition of the bathtub in her rental. She said the water does not drain after she bathes her kids or takes a shower.
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"The water started turning brown. I'm like, oh my God, what is this?" Spivery said.
Besides her bathtub not draining, she also pointed out what appears to be mold on her bathroom walls; her kitchen sink also doesn't drain.
When she reported it to maintenance, she said she was told she needed a plumber but one was never sent to her apartment.
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Instead, when she washes dishes, to get the dirty water out of the sink she has to physically scoop the water out one cup at a time, put the water in a bucket and throw it outside when it fills up.
She showed Troubleshooter Diane Wilson the process and said, "I get my bucket go to the back door and literally pour the water out, and repeat. I've been doing this for four months."
Another issue inside her apartment involves her oven.
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The front glass fell out, so it's not there providing the weight and protection from heat.
"I have to trust my four, five, and, seven-year-old to hold the door down for me because it doesn't have weight to it," Spivery said.
Spivery said she's lived at the Brookwood Apartments in Roxboro for years and hasn't had problems until the last several months.
"Someone has to stand up for us, you know, or nothing will be done," she said.
While at her apartment complex, Wilson asked staff on-site why Spivery's issues had not been addressed. They declined to comment.
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Wilson then reached out to the City of Roxboro Inspections Department to see if it had investigated. The department said it did have staff members contact the complex.
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Wilson finally heard from management at Brookwood who in a statement said:
The Brookwood Apartments management team is committed to addressing resident concerns and providing safe, decent, and sanitary housing. Upon receipt of the work order for a plumbing issue, the management team dispatched the maintenance team and independent plumbers. To support the resident during the repairs, on April 18, the management team offered the resident a vacant unit for use. On April 19, an independent plumber worked to repair the bathroom plumbing issues and cleared the sewer main line; as a result, the bathroom plumbing issues were repaired, and it was confirmed that the tub was properly draining. The management team visited the unit this afternoon to check on repairs and confirmed the bathtub to be in working order. The management team is also aware of a clog in the kitchen sink due to a grease clog and has dispatched maintenance to address it. The management team continues to reach out to the resident regarding updates on the repairs and to offer support.
The owners of the Brookwood complex are Millennia Housing Management, and the company is facing action from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, for conditions of its properties throughout the country.
HUD has barred Millennia from "participating in any new business with HUD, including the Section 8 program, and with any federal government agency or federal programs for five years." HUD said that does not affect Millennia's existing properties or contracts with HUD. HUD is pursuing separate enforcement action against current properties and will take further action as appropriate and necessary.
When it comes to Spivery's rental it took a few days, but her bathtub now drains, her mold issue did get addressed, and she got a different oven, but as for the kitchen sink, she said it still doesn't drain. She has been waiting for a plumber or someone to fix it, but so far, the problem remains.
If you have issues with your rental, it's key to put every request in writing so you have proof of those requests for repairs.