LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Shontell Haskins moved into Legacy Apartment homes more than 8 months pregnant.
She has three-year-old twins and a one-year-old boy. In just a year, she said, things started "falling apart."
Haskins said they have gone without hot water, there are leaks throughout the building and they had to lay towels down to keep it from spreading. At one point, the ceiling caved in.
“So they cut it open because I told them it needs to be fixed but they never came back and fixed it,” she explained.
Haskins is not the only person in her complex facing issues.
Shayy Jackson said her ceiling recently caved in. She stood near her kitchen and recorded the drywall falling to the ground.
“I asked them, could y’all get me a hotel, because I have a whole baby. She can’t be in here, can y’all do something? And she just told me no,” Jackson recalled.
Haskins said in the last year, they’ve gone through six property managers.
WHAS11 News reached out to current property manager Marsha White and she did not provide additional comment but previously said they recently purchased the property. They said it needs upgrades, so they stopped renewing leases.
The eviction process that followed is completely legal and increasingly common in Louisville.
Many residents were able to move before being evicted, but the legal process created challenges for some.
“To just evict us, that goes on our record,” Jackson said. “That makes it hard to get an apartment.”
After explaining the eviction, she was able to sign a lease elsewhere and is in the process of getting out, while Haskins has had a harder time finding a three-bedroom apartment.
“I can’t afford a thousand dollars, I could do nine. But a thousand and up? I can’t do that,” she said.
Haskins is moving back in with her mother until she can find suitable housing. Residents remind renters to talk to people living in the apartments you’re looking into before you move.
Experts told WHAS11 News that anyone going through the eviction process should have representation. You can reach out to the Legal Aid Society for representation.
If you are unable to pay rent due to the pandemic, click here for resources.
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