No running water at St. Johns rental home

McKoy Scribner
·2 min read

ST. JOHNS, Mich. (WLNS) — Imagine living in a house with no running water for more than a month. That’s been the reality for one woman in a St. Johns rental home.

Justina Cowan had bought a plot of land just a few thousand feet from where she currently rents, with the hope of eventually building her dream home. But ever since moving into the rental in December, she said, it’s been a nightmare.

“This has financially ruined me,” Cowan said. “I think I would have been smarter than this, but the way that everything was supposed to go, it was the perfect plan.”

Cowan said she knew the situation had been too good to be true once she started moving things around. Her landlord wasn’t too happy at that point, she said.

  • Justina Cowan said she’s been living in a house with no running water for more than a month. (WLNS)
    Justina Cowan said she’s been living in a house with no running water for more than a month. (WLNS)
  • Justina Cowan said she’s been living in a house with no running water for more than a month. (WLNS)
    Justina Cowan said she’s been living in a house with no running water for more than a month. (WLNS)
  • Justina Cowan said she’s been living in a house with no running water for more than a month. (WLNS)
    Justina Cowan said she’s been living in a house with no running water for more than a month. (WLNS)

“He was angry because there was two 20-foot rolls of carpet in here and they went from one wall, up the steps, and I kept tripping over them,” Cowan said. “And when I would step over them, I would step on the tag strips because he wouldn’t put the carpet down, either.

“And so, I put them out on the deck and he got mad about it,” Cowan continued. “He came here and said, ‘This isn’t gonna work.’ and I said, ‘Are you gonna turn my water on?’ and he said, ‘No, I’m not turning your water on.'”

Cowan added that dry faucets and shower heads aren’t the only issue at the property. She said the electricity also isn’t hooked up right and that there’s no drain field.

That’s why Cowan decided to get the Mid-Michigan District Health Department involved.

An official and MMDHD said that although no official action has been taken yet, there is a process ongoing in regards to taking corrective actions at the house.

MMDHD officials said they weren’t able to share what those actions were, specifically.

In the mean time, Cowan said she has a message for those who are about to move. “Pay more of an attention to where you’re going and who you’re dealing with,” Cowan said. “Because this is bad.”

6 News reached out to the landlord for comment, but did not get a response.

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