A good update to share – TMJ4 News helped get results for frustrated people living in a small apartment building on Milwaukee’s near west side.
Their homes and belongings were badlydamaged in Monday’s heavy rainfall. One resident went to the hospital after being hit by a piece of the ceiling that caved in. Power had to be shut off to the building.
We tried reaching out to the property owner but never got through.
The rental company managing the building, Citywide Rentals, told us the owner was aware of the problem and that they’d be working on it and putting up tarps.
Residents updated us Tuesday morning, saying that never happened. Many have nowhere else to go and are on fixed incomes.
“I’m just more frustrated because of this lack of response,” said Michael Hoskins, whose apartment has a hole in the ceiling and other water damage. “It really feels like they don’t care about us. We’ve been calling and getting nothing in return. No one from the rental company has even been out here to check on us.”
Hoskins and others who live in the building say they’ve reported leaks before, as well as problems with mice, roaches, and no heat.
TMJ4 News met with Hoskins as he was cleaning up the mess himself Tuesday and trying to research new places to live.
While we were there, city inspectors showed up, along with the owner of the building, just before 1 p.m. That was the deadline Milwaukee’s Department of Neighborhood Services gave the landlord to fix the damage or face fines.
We asked the owner about the status of the building and what tenants should be doing to get help.
He walked away from us and did not respond. We stayed as he spoke with city inspectors and showed them around the property.
Within two hours, a crew of men arrived to start making repairs.
“I really believe that was because you were here to hold them accountable,” Hoskins told TMJ4. “They’ve started fixing my apartment. Thank you.”
