Mice infestation, electricity issues reported at East Houston apartment complex
HOUSTON - Quarniece Drumgold is not staying inside of her Rollingwoods Apartments in East Houston since the power has been out for days due to a recent fire at the complex.
She and her three children are currently staying at a hotel, and was told she will not be reimbursed for the expense. This is just one of the problems she's told FOX 26 about.
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Aside from frequent blackouts and problems with plugs in the walls, she believes her apartment is heavily infested with mice.
Cell phone video shows rodents crawling around her kitchen floor at night - something the mother of three is worried about.
"It's almost being in fear to be up at nighttime. At nighttime, they really come out," says Drumgold. "You don't know if they're going to crawl in the bed, or get into the playpens, or are they urinating on the clothes and toys."
She showed us traps filled with mice hair, holes in her walls that she's tried to close, and mice feces on her stove.
Drumgold says no exterminator has been at her apartment for months. When she confronts an exterminator on the property, they tell her the leasing office is rarely open when they're here, and they need permission to gain access.
We visited the leasing office to figure out the problem for Drumgold, and after not allowing us inside initially, the property manager tells FOX 26, exterminators are there each week.
They also tell us they couldn't gain access into Drumgold's apartment because the tenant lost her keys and she had the only spare key.
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Drumgold showed us what she said was her original key, and says she rarely uses it, because a security keypad was installed on her door.
"The only time they realized they didn't have a key was this Monday," says Drumgold. "When the people came to do an inspection, and they realized they didn't fix anything in my apartment, didn't let the inspection people go into the apartment, because if they would've allowed them to go into it, they would've failed the inspection."
Mail is also an issue for Drumgold and many of the tenants. New mailboxes sit on the side of the newly-renovated leasing office, but none of them have been assigned to tenants.
The property manager tells us those boxes still have to be inspected by the post office. Drumgold says she worries about not getting certain bills or notices on time because of the issue.
"I feel used because I feel like you're taking our money, and you're not doing anything to help the conditions of the home," says Drumgold.
Other tenants spoke with us about similar issues at their units. After the property manager decided not to tell us who owns the property, we attempted to figure it out ourselves.
There are several numbers associated with the 670 Maxey Road address - but none of them were in service.
Houston County Appraisal District records have the owner's name listed as 2013 Houston Maxey LLC, an address in Austin, Texas.
FOX 26 has also reached out to District I Councilman Robert Gallegos for a comment on this apartment issue.
"Apartment owners and managers must be responsible and accountable for maintaining basic living standards at their properties," Gallegos Chief of Staff Daniel Santamaria writes.
We also asked if there were any updates in addressing problems at Timber Ridges Apartments, another complex with reports of neglect in that district.
Here's his statement:
"The city of Houston investigated the residents’ complaints on July 27 and ordered the Timber Ridge Apartments to address safety concerns and issues related to trash and rodents at the property. City officials reinspected the property on August 10 to ensure timely action by Timber Ridge and will check back to ensure violations are corrected."