ATLANTA — An Atlanta woman says she hasn’t had working heat for a year. She lives at the Fairburn-Gordon Apartments in southwest Atlanta.
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Necole Pruitt says it’s been an unbearable winter as she and her family rely on space heaters to stay warm.
“Having to take the space heater from (here) to there, to the bathroom,” Pruitt said.
Pruitt told Channel 2′s Ashli Lincoln maintenance requests at the Fairburn-Gordon apartments in southwest Atlanta continue to fall on deaf ears.
“You’re not really caring about your tenants,” she said.
Pruitt says she can’t even rely on her oven and stove to warm the apartment because the stove has been broken for nearly three years.
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Lincoln followed Pruitt to an empty neighboring apartment unit that still has running electricity.
Lincoln asked Pruitt, “Why do you have to come down to this empty unit?”
Pruitt replied, “I come down, one for the heat and two to cook.”
In June, Channel 2 Action News reported the City of Atlanta ordered the California-based landlords to repair more than 300 code enforcement violations.
Judge Christopher Portis ordered the landlord to pay a $35,000 fine in June.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has halted all funding because of these violations.
“I agree with what the city is doing, because even if they’re able to keep these apartments, what they’re doing is trying to make it better for the people,” renter Sylvania Cooper told Lincoln.
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Landlords were supposed to have adequate pest control, trash service, security, landscaping, and working AC and heat in all units.
Pruitt says her apartment unit is a clear example of the lack of progress happening at this property.
“Until there’s some real consequences nothing is going to change,” she said.
Channel 2 Action News reached out to the Atlanta-based attorney representing the owners. He has not responded to our request for comment.
After asking for an update on the status of this case, the solicitor’s office told Channel 2 Action News, it doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
Pruitt has created a GoFundMe to help her find a safer, better environment for her and her children. Click here, if you would like to donate.
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