Danzel McReynolds walked into his apartment Tuesday night to find it flooded. His toilet overflowed gallons of water into his home.
The flood also poured into his neighbors unit downstairs.
"It would start right here and then it was pouring right here, and by the time it was all over it was ankle deep,” said Darrell Bagley.
Four days later, McReynolds says the management company has done very little to help him.
Air dryers have been brought in, and his toilet soaked carpet has been ripped apart.
McReynolds said his belongings are ruined, and the entire place looking like a disaster.
“It’s gotten to the point where it’s unbearable,” said McReynolds.
Another big issue has been the strong smell of sewage.
McReynolds said he finds any excuse to leave the house with his 5 kids, all under the age of 9, but at night they have nowhere to go.
“We can’t live here,” McReynolds added.
McReynolds said he has complained to management, but his pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
“I asked for any type of assistance that we could have with any other apartment or hotel voucher. They’re not being compliant, they’re not helping us in any type of way,” said McReynolds.
Bagley shares the same sentiments.
He said the complex let him stay in the “model apartment” the first night, but since then very little has been done to help.
“They say they’re gonna dry this out and replace the carpet and that’s it,” said Bagley.
ABC15 spoke with the manager trying to get answers, but they referred us to their corporate office.
We contacted their management company Consolidated Asset Management Properties, but the receptionist we spoke to said their regional manager had “no comment”.
McReynolds reached out to the City of Phoenix’s Neighborhood Services Department and spoke to a representative about his legal rights as a tenant.
Following his meeting, McReynolds gave the apartment complex a five day notice to get the problem fixed before seeking legal action.
A spokesperson for the department said if you’re ever in a situation like this, report the problem to management immediately and always in writing.
Following the first complaint, management has 24 hours to fix the problem.
If it's still not fixed, submit a 5 day notice in writing to them.
They then have 5 days to fix the problem, if they don’t, you are free to walk away from the apartment without any repercussions.
The department says anyone dealing with landlord/tenant issues can always contact their office directly at (602) 534-4444 to learn what their rights are as tenants, and they do take walk-ins.
In our research, we found Brookside Apartment’s has had only one complaint against them made to the Better Business Bureau, which they resolved this year.
CAM Properties has also only had one complaint submitted to them in 2017.
The BBB said the company responded and assumed it was resolved because they never heard back from the customer.
Bagley said once his lease is up next month, he is done and moving out.
But for McReynolds, his wife, and 5 kids, he is hoping this nightmare ends soon.
“It’s not a good feeling at all,” said McReynolds.
