‘How do we bathe?': Beacon Apartment tenants hit breaking point with landlord

Yahoo

2 days ago

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Tenants at the Beacon Apartments had a rude awakening Monday when, much to their surprise, their water had been cut off.
'How do we bathe?' Beacon Apartment Tenant Kimberly Haynes asked. 'How do we brush our teeth? How do we cook if we don't have water? It's a liable thing. It's a health thing.'
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Huntsville Utilities told News 19 the water service ending was due to the property managers not paying their bill. Tenants said their water bill was paid.
'Me living in my home and have no water,' A tenant wishing to remain anonymous said. 'You know, ask everyone here, we pay water.'
We're paying our bills, but we're still not getting anything to benefit us,' Haynes said. 'If we're paying our rent, keep our water on.'
In a statement to News 19, Huntsville Utilities detailed the situation.
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'On Friday afternoon, Huntsville Utilities informed the property managers at Beacon Apartments that due to significant unpaid water bills, service would be cut off Monday morning. This morning, we were forced to interrupt water service to the building. This was only done after numerous attempts to contact the property owners/managers about the unpaid bills. After water was turned off, Huntsville Utilities received a certified check for the unpaid balance, and water service should be restored later today.'
Todd Long, Huntsville Utilities
While water on the property is restored and the bill is paid, tenants said this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the last several months.
Tenants have extreme concern regarding broken HVAC systems, units flooding, and having water leakage, mold on the walls and ceilings, and unsafe conditions, just to name a few from their list.
'I don't feel comfortable, it's not safe walking around here at night,' another tenant, asking to remain anonymous, said. 'There's a lot of police presence out here.'
This resident detailed a police chase on property in February, along with a heavy police presence tied to a slew of incidents over the last few months. She also said the property managers do not pay for the outdoor lighting bill, causing the property to be pitch black at night and unsafe. Another tenant corroborated this claim.
'I have to come out here, you know, basically armed for my safety because it's black outside,' the anonymous tenant said. 'It's getting dark out here. You don't know what's going to happen. Anything can happen within a matter of seconds.'
The two said numerous violent acts happened once it's dark on the property, hence the police presence.
Tenants said the property managers and on-site leadership are nearly impossible to reach when it comes to expressing concerns about these problems. Some believe the staff just quit.
'I have all the leasing agents' numbers that work here,' Haynes said. 'I emailed them, texted them, and nobody has said anything. Our office is closed when it should be open.'
Beacon Apartments tenants are considering a class-action lawsuit following everything that happened over the course of the year.
'If they don't do what they need to do as property managers, we're going to do what we need to do as tenants and a community to come together and put our names out there, voices out there,' Haynes said.
A petition started today already has around 40 signatures from tenants.
Steward and Helm is the management company. News 19 reached out and has not yet heard back.
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