Atlanta area apartment has nearly $100,000 water bill due, families scramble before water shut off

Tyisha Fernandes
·3 min read
1

Dozens of families at an apartment complex in Clayton County are unsure if they have to find a new place to live.

Why? Because their water is about to be disconnected.

It turns out, the apartment complex has a past-due balance close to $100,000.

Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes was in Clayton County to learn why the bill is so high, and get tenants some answers.

When tenants at Tara Woods Apartments get home, and drive into their complex, they’re greeted by signs saying a water disconnection is coming.

Channel 2 Action News spoke to several tenants Thursday who say their water is included in their rent price, and they’ve been paying every month.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

However, the property manager blamed some of the tenants, and even the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ashley Huff is a mother of five, and one of the tenants trying to figure out where she’ll go.

“They will not talk to us, they will not answer any phone calls, yesterday they stormed out and ran out on us so we have no answers to anything that’s going on. It’s definitely putting a lot of stress on a lot of people,” said Huff.

Many tenants told us their units have rats, roaches, and holes in their floors.

Huff said she only moved into The Tara Woods Apartments in Jonesboro three years ago because it was the only place she could afford.

She knew the complex had more serious issues back in March, when the Water Authority threatened to disconnect water from the entire complex…

Tenants told us they didn’t understand why because they paid for water every month.

“Our water is included in the rent so I pay everything all at one time,” said Huff

Another tenant, Nia Robinson said she pays for water monthly as well.

“We’re not going to be able to cook, take showers, people got kids and families out here and we got til Monday,” said Robinson.

TRENDING STORIES:

A spokesperson for the Clayton Water Authority told Channel 2 Action News that the complex is on a master water meter, which means the complete has one bill, and it’s supposed to pay for everyone’s water.

According to records, the complex goes months without paying anything. Over the last 12 months, they made only five payments. The current balance is nearly $98,000. Some tenants believe someone in management is stealing the money.

A manager for the complex said that’s not true.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

In a statement obtained by Channel 2 Action News, the property owner said the blame is on some of the tenants.

“Red Apple Investments stood by its tenants for over two years throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, when most of them couldn’t pay rent,” the owner said in a statement in part. “Many are still not paying rent. The bulk of the outstanding balance is due to water use by non-paying tenants.”

Huff said the issue is heartbreaking.

“I don’t ever want my children to ever have to know that we literally had to up and run because we don’t know if we’re gonna have somewhere to stay,” Huff told Fernandes.

The management company went on to say that they have every intention of resolving this with the water authority before Monday, so that these tenants don’t have to leave.

OTHER NEWS: