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Petersburg Apartment complex resident ignored by management, without heat for 9 months

Posted at 6:37 PM, Nov 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-21 18:42:11-05

PETERSBURG, Va. - As the temperatures drop, Fran’Kita Wiggins is suffering inside her apartment with no central heat.

“I don't feel like I should have to leave my home for heat,” Wiggins said. “I have on coats, boots, socks, leg warmers, leggings."

She moved into her apartment in the basement of the Perry Street Lofts back in February and says the problem has been going on ever since.

“I haven't had any heat or air conditioning since I moved in. I can live without air conditioning but heat is a little bit tougher.”

After filing multiple complaints and getting weekly promises that someone would come out to fix the problem, apartment officials brought her two electric heaters.

“But one of them, the plug is burnt, so it sparks, so I don't really use that one,” Wiggins said.

The faulty unit caught the attention of the Petersburg Fire Marshal’s Office.

“You cannot use it as the only heat source," Assistant Fire Marshal Marlow Jones said.

Others who live with Wiggins at Perry Street Lofts say they are also dealing with issues.

“Considering all the stuff that's going on in our building, it really is not surprising,” resident Amethyst Richardson said.

Wednesday afternoon, Jones gave management at the Perry Street Lofts an official notice if the heat isn't fixed in 24 hours, they will have to take further action.

"They have to put her in another apartment or a hotel room, they have to do something but she cannot use space heaters as her main heat source," he said.

The CBS 6 Problem solvers have reached out to the management company which oversees the Perry Street Lofts to ask about the heat problem.

They are still waiting on a response.

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