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Richmond tenants may be without water for 10 days: ‘Is this your norm?’

Posted at 6:15 PM, Jul 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-11 18:15:34-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- Several tenants of a Richmond apartment complex reached out to the CBS 6 Problem Solvers after they said management would not answer why their water was cut off.

Tenants at the Colorado Manor Apartments near Maymont said as many as 30 units are completely without water, or only have running water on the first floor.

They said management told them there was a water main break on the property and it could be 10 days before water is restored.

The property is managed by KRS Holdings --also known as Greater Richmond Rentals, and they have had similar issues at their other properties.

KRS Holdings provided property management services for Ashton Square, a sprawling, 11- acre apartment complex off Westover Hills Boulevard with 362 units.  Some renters at Ashton Square apartments were without water for six months. City inspectors worked with management to address the water problems and other violations, through a corrective action plan.

A corroded thermostat on the hot water tank was the culprit at Ashton Square. Parker Agelasto, 5th District Councilman, said at the time that it was a job that should've been completed in a day and not taken six months.

CBS 6 previously reported about a similar situation which happened to tenants living in the Broadway East apartments in Hopewell, also managed by KRS Holdings.

City of Hopewell officials condemned the property afterfinding mold, human waste and sewage in the basement of the apartment complex.

"So now its a question of  is this your norm and why do you think that people are gonna continue to roll over and take it," said Colorado Manor Apartments tenant Joi Donaldson.

“We've been lucky to be able go to other homes to be able to shower but not everyone in this neighborhood doesn't have that accommodation,” Donaldson added.

“We were getting a little pressure downstairs but no water upstairs,” said tenant Jeffery Gunn. “And we haven't been able to get with the management to get a solution to our situation.”

Tenants said there should be a reduction in rent or the water bill or something needs to happen that will offset the inconvenience.

"No accommodations have been made, no hotel rooms, no reaching out,” Donaldson said. “No correspondence has been sent, no emails no letters. Up until this point nothing has been done outside of 'were trying to figure this out'."

The management company released a statement:

“KRS Holdings, Inc. Is committed to offering the very best possible rental residences it can to its tenants and consistently strives to address maintenance issues…in  regards to the situation at Colorado Manor, KRS Holdings is working with both the city and contractors to identify and resolve the issue as quickly as possible."

"It’s frustrating,” Gunn said.  “It’s almost 90, between 90 and  100 degrees so actually we really need water."

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