TEMPLE, Texas — After 6 News covered the claims from residents at the Retreat Apartments in Temple earlier this week, now property management has responded.
A handful of residents at the Retreat made claims of having mold, mildew, and water damage in their apartment units. They said whenever they reached out to the property manager, their issues were left unheard.
Since the initial story 6 News reported, Retreat resident Neyrice Brackens say the complex maintenance has fixed a few things like the hanging light fixture in her apartment. As for the major worries like mold and mildew, it's still there.
"Why do we have to go through this to get something done? I still have a crack in my ceiling in the hallway. They still haven't scraped the water bubble out of my ceiling," Brackens said.
6 News visited the Retreat Apartments and met with the new property manager Karla Trujillo.
RPM Management, Retreat Apartment property owners, did not allow Trujillo to be on camera for comment, but she did tell us she is working to write the wrongs of past apartment management mistakes.
"This apartment complex has been through so many different property managers and property owners through the past few years. This is my first week here and I'm doing all I can to fix the maintenance issues that I've noticed here at the complex. These apartments are very nice and we don't want to cause our residents any more stress," Trujillo explained.
She went on to say her first priority as property manager is to focus on the building with the most damage on the property, which is building one.
Still, apartment resident Ashely Huff says what she's heard from all of the different managers throughout the years is no longer enough and she plans to move forward with her plans to file a class action lawsuit against the property owners.
"We are not looking for handouts or anything free, we just want management to hold up their end of the contract, or release us from our contract. This is an extremely stressful situation and we just want a solution," Huff said.
Trujillo told 6 News she's putting together a meet and greet with property employees and residents to build trust with residents.
She is also working on organizing the system for residents to submit their maintenance issues.