HOUSTON – A day after residents exposed deplorable living conditions at a Houston apartment complex, federal and local elected officials saw the problem firsthand.
KPRC 2, with the permission and invitation of one of the tenants at Cullen Park Apartments, asked Houston City Councilwoman Carolyn Evans-Shabazz and Congressman Al Green to visit the property in order to see how they can hold the landlord accountable following widespread reports of severe health and safety hazards, including mold infestations, rodents, and potential sewage leaks.
Within just a few minutes of seeing the situation, Congressman Al Green declared the property “uninhabitable” and is now proposing new legislation to protect low-income tenants following a report by KPRC 2 that exposed the problems.
Health Hazards... many of them
Michele Williams, who receives housing assistance through a federal HUD program, has documented a horrifying list of issues during her five-year tenancy.
“My stove doesn’t work. My refrigerator doesn’t close. I’ve killed 26 rats inside my apartment,” Williams said in an interview with KPRC 2’s Joy Addison on Tuesday.
The situation reached a crisis point when Williams discovered maggots crawling across her daughter’s bedroom carpet, which had been soaked for over three weeks due to unaddressed water damage.
“My baby actually has bronchitis right now,” Williams said, describing how the family abandoned the bedroom due to health concerns.
Williams invited KPRC 2 back to her home on Wednesday, along with city and federal elected officials, as she continues to plead for help with the apartment complex management.
Management Resistance
Property managers have reportedly used intimidation tactics to suppress complaints.
On Tuesday, loudspeakers at the complex broadcast warnings to residents about speaking with reporters or sharing issues on social media.
When confronted by Rep. Green and Councilwoman Evans-Shabazz on Wednesday, management remained reluctant to address the issues on camera, despite both elected officials wearing microphones and KPRC 2 notifying the manager that the interaction was being recorded.
“I’m not doing cameras, so you guys can come in, but I’m not doing the video cameras,” the apartment manager told the elected leaders.
The apartment complex is owned by Marquis Asset Management, a Dallas-based firm. KPRC 2 asked the company for a statement.
“The on site management team responds to verifiable complaints promptly and they resolve issues that are visible to them just as promptly,” a legal representative for the company, Kenneth Chaiken, wrote in part to KPRC 2.Hous “It is not uncommon for residents to complain for a lot of reasons, to media personnel, but they do not complain to us or we often find that their complaints are not real.”
“This place is not habitable,” Green declared after touring multiple units. “Human beings not only should not, but cannot live under these conditions.”
Regulatory Response
The City of Houston’s Department of Public Works has already issued two citations to the property - one for excessive trash and another for rodent infestations. Management has been given 10 days to resolve these violations.
Over the last six months, the City of Houston’s 311 center has received over a dozen complaints about the Cullen Park Apartments property.
Some of those complaints include claims of “rats eatting through the wall and vents” while others have “sewage coming from under carpet and creating magots.”
Councilwoman Evans-Shabazz, who described the conditions as “despicable, deplorable, disgusting,” promised immediate action at the city level.
“As a city council member for the city of Houston, I will engage with the mayor to see what we can do expeditiously,” she said.
Sparking A Change In Law
The severity of conditions prompted Congressman Green to announce plans for new federal legislation targeting properties receiving low-income housing tax credits, all after seeing reporting by KPRC 2.
“If a property is condemned, then you have to cover the cost of the person moving and cover rental costs until the property is habitable,” Green explained, outlining his proposed law.
What Can Residents Do?
When Williams contacted HUD representatives, they offered to relocate her to another unit within the same complex.
“Why would I want to stay in the same conditions, just in a different unit?” she asked. “If I have to pack up my things, put them in storage and stay at a shelter, I will. That’s better than living with maggots and rats.”
The Houston HUD Field Office has not yet responded to inquiries about whether the complex currently meets federal housing standards.
Meanwhile, Green adopted what he called a “wait and see attitude” regarding management’s response to the concerns, suggesting continued oversight of the situation.
