After residents of a Westside apartment complex that condemned 10 units spoke about their living conditions with the News4JAX I-TEAM Wednesday, management is giving them until Sunday to find a new place to live.
Officials from the fire department and the city’s neighborhood department inspected the Colonial Forest Apartments on Tuesday and said they condemned 10 units at the apartment complex. The Carpenter family was one of those residents who was living in a unit that was condemned
“This is not my fault. I told them. I told him and the other tenants told them,” resident Linda Carpenter said.
Those who still live there said they’re dealing with problems that range from unsafe patios and stairways to potential black mold issues and problems with leaking pipes.
After conducting the inspection, the city gave the affected residents two options: move into a different unit on the property or take $1,700 from the city to find a new place to live.
The Carpenter family said $1,700 was not enough money to move elsewhere, so they opted for the city’s first option. However, they said the new unit they were offered to move into has several issues.
“We cannot live in black mold. These two women right here had health issues. If we lived in there, how long would it be before they get sick?” resident Miles Carpenter said.
The family voiced their concerns to the News4JAX I-TEAM on Wednesday. On Thursday, they said they are being forced out of the apartment complex.
“She told me that because we had been interviewed and gave an interview on Channel 4, corporate decided they did not want us in the other apartment. So we were to be out,” Linda Carpenter said.
News4JAX tried to reach the front office on Thursday, but we were again given a 1-800 number. The calls and messages to the owners, Freidman Real Estate Group in Michigan, have not been returned.
The I-TEAM has found at least 13 citations for the property owner from this year, totaling more than $3,000 in fines. The citations were for a variety of problems including live rat infestations, unsanitary conditions, and failure to make repairs to damaged ceilings, damaged cabinets and broken sliding glass doors.
“The owner should be held accountable,” Linda Carpenter said. “He or she or they, whichever the case may be, are the ones responsible. They’ve been taught being told for the last couple three years that all this needs to be done. They chose not to do it.”
The Carpenters still haven’t found another place to call home and are worried about moving expenses.
“Well, hopefully, a GoFundMe account to help get us into another place. Once we get established and moved over my sister and I can handle it on our own. It’s not easy, but we can do it,” Linda Carpenter said.
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