LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Frustration grows for one Lexington woman after she claims to have had no heat in her apartment for the past five months.
In October, Shanteria Williams first noticed that her vents blew cool air when she tried to turn on the heat. Since then, she has made multiple attempts to have the situation rectified.
“Every time I call or reach out, they make it seem like I’m a problem, when all I want is my heat fixed,” Williams said.
To offer a temporary solution, the Park View complex gave Williams two space heaters to use. After the most recent cold snap, however, Williams feels ready for a more permanent solution.
“To come home and have to wait for your apartment to have to warm up to take a shower is outrageous,” Williams said, tearing up. “I should have heat. It says in my lease, I should have heat. I pay for utilities in my rent, so I don’t understand why I can’t get heat.”
Williams asked for financial compensation in her rent but was denied. It was also suggested that Williams seek a new apartment when her lease ends this coming October.
“To be asked to move, you know, I really don’t want to stay here after going through everything with them, but it’s like I’m settled in now. I’ve made this like home, and I’ve invested a lot of my time and money into it, so it’s just like, to be asked to move, that’s a slap in the face.”
According to Williams, her neighbors have lacked heating as well.
“When I called code enforcement, he told me that there was other people here that has reached out to code enforcement about not having heat, and they’ve ordered their units as well. And then when I was calling complaining about not having heat, that’s what they mentioned to me, you’re not the only one that doesn’t have heat."
Code enforcement suggested they could condemn the apartment, but that solution does not satisfy Williams.
“Just to say you want to condemn my apartment, what does that do for me? To have to pack up and move everything in the middle of the winter, look for a place to move, money and all of that, so it’s just like I’m at a lose-lose situation here.”
Code enforcement mentioned that new units have been purchased, and Williams said they were supposed to be installed last week. The extra delay drew more ire from Williams, and the complex since promised Tuesday as the new deadline.
We reached out to the apartment complex and the rental property manager and have yet to hear back.
