SAVANNAH, Ga. () — is working to assist a local woman enduring terrible living conditions after her property management company allegedly refused to address major problems.
“Everyone is shelling out money,” said Charity Merritt. “People rent because they can’t bear the expense of owning property. They aren’t able to afford repairs, which is why they rent.”
Merritt shared with that she’s been grappling with a three-week ordeal stemming from a fire in the apartment above her at Heritage Place on 36th Street in Savannah.
She said the fire set off the sprinklers in her apartment and led to a flood.
“My kids shoes got ruined. My kids’ toys, board games, got ruined, my clothes are soaking wet,” she said.
Merritt said she called the front office about the issue, and they came the next day to clean up the flood water. However, she said everything was already wet, causing mold to begin growing.
“I called the office, I called corporate. The lady messages the district manager and the regional manager, but no one ever still called me back,” the mom of three said. “My kids have been in here this whole time inhaling this stuff because we’re all we’ve got so they’re in the room with me all the time. They’re coughing, don’t feel too good.”
spoke to the Regional Manager at Mercy Housing, the non-profit that owns and operates Heritage Place as well as several other properties across the country.
They say they have no record of Merritt making a complaint about mold.
Though, Merritt told that a maintenance technician was sent to her apartment with a spray to cover the mold and water stains, which was visible when we visited the property.
Merritt said the mold was never cleaned and now appears to be peeking through the spray again.
“It’s just nasty…I don’t know. It’s aggravating,” she said. “You’ve got people coming in here sleeping in the hallways, smoking, drinking, all that. I walked outside a couple of weeks ago. Someone was sleeping in front of my door. When I came back home, he had peed in front of my door.”
