MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Some residents at a northeast Memphis apartment complex continue to live without working air conditioning. ABC24 first told you about this story last week about Brentwood Place apartments with some tenants who do not working A/C for more than two months.
Management at the complex refused to answer questions from ABC24 about how soon units without a/c would be fixed.
Tenants such as Zack W, who didn't want to give his full name said for a majority of the 10 months that he's lived in his apartment, he's been living without A/C. He said the only reason why his apartment stays cool is that his uncle provided him with an old air compressor.
"It's a 25-year-old compressor and it keeps it cool in the living room," Zack said.
According to Zack, he has put in work order after work order for months, with no success or timeline on when his A/C will be fixed.
"Just like the apartment manager told me Friday, she's trying to make me live comfortably, how is this a place to live comfortably if I don't have good working air," he said.
A spokesperson with the City of Memphis said code enforcement last week cited the complex for units with no air and no running water.
Zack said he's also concerned his MLGW bill will skyrocket like his other neighbors if something isn't resolved soon.
"I don't want my bill to be high like everyone else's. Everyone else is struggling out here just like I am," Zack said.
Duireial Collins said is another resident with issues at Brentwood Place apartments. She told ABC24 her A/C works a majority of the time.
Collins said she is missing cabinet doors in both of her bathrooms and kitchen. She said because she doesn't have those cabinet doors nails are exposed, which she worries could harm her small child.
"I hate to say it but it's the world we're living in now, you know it's like you still got to pay. If I don't pay, guess what? I'm going to be evicted," Collins said.
Collins said her options of moving are also limited.
"All in all, management keeps changing but nothing is getting better, so what's the point of the different management," she said.
Under Tennessee law, tenants have the legal right to live in a habitable unit that complies with fair housing regulations. They also have the right to contact the landlord to request repairs if needed.
A representative with the City of Memphis said Brentwood Place apartments is scheduled to appear in environmental court on July 8.