HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Backed up plumbing, collapsed ceilings, broken air conditioners and spreading mold are just some of the problems that have residents of a Huntsville apartment complex at their wits' end.
FOX54 spoke with two people who rent units at The Kensington, located on Lancewood Drive NW, just off University Drive.
They say pleas for help -- and filings for maintenance work -- have failed to remedy the issues. They're also concerned that by speaking out, they could wind up homeless.
"I'm trying to set myself up and elevate in life and It just tore me down," a woman named Precious explained. "It tore me down mentally. It held me down physically. And it tore me down spiritually."
Precious told FOX54 that things seemed fine when she signed her lease a year ago, but she soon discovered her apartment did not have a functioning air conditioner. The next day, she was dealing with flooding from problematic pipes.
"I went through hundreds of dollars of towels," she said. "I went through me and my kids clothes, just trying to stop it."
Another resident, named Daniel, said he didn't receive keys to his unit until three weeks after moving in.
"So whenever we leave from home to go to work or to the store, whatever, we would have to leave the door open," he said.
A member of the community has helped make tenants aware of their rights and is hoping to get management to respond.
"When I saw the pictures, I was horrified," that woman -- Kat -- told FOX54. "I'm just trying to help.
"You know, I was like, if I could just get this documentation and all these pictures and these people's stories to somebody, you know, that's bigger than me."
Kat is working on a notice of rights to repair for the tenants of 27 units. Alabama law gives landlords 14 days to address unsafe or unlivable conditions. Failure to do so grants residents certain rights, including the ability to break a lease without penalty or sue the property owner.
FOX54 has left messages with management of The Kensington but has not received a response.