PASADENA – Residents at a Pasadena apartment complex that was without hot water and heat late last year told KPRC2 on Wednesday that conditions are improving.
Several tenants, like Ash Esquivel, who lives at the Sycamore Gardens Apartments on Sycamore Avenue, said they can see some of the changes happening.
“So the water gets really hot now. Like scalding hot. You can turn it on just a little bit and it gets hot, hot,” Esquivel said. “We also have a new manager. She came and like introduced herself to everybody. She seemed nice. We’ve been through about six managers since we’ve been here and we’ve been here a year.”
Resident Karen Nollman said the newly installed boiler is working better than expected.
“The water is hot. I won’t complain ‘cause I don’t want it to go out again, but yeah it’s been great,” she said.
Nollman has heat now too, thanks to the new property manager that was hired three weeks ago.
“I had said one thing to her about my heater and she was out the same day and got it fixed,” Nollman added.
When KPRC2 first visited in November of 2022, resident William Carpenter complained about living without hot water for two months. He also said the electricity was cut off the day before Thanksgiving, squatters were taking over vacant apartments and there was structural damage.
“Ever since y’all came out we’ve had nothing but good. They’ve been buckling down. They’ve put a new hot water heater in,” Carpenter said. ‘Y’all put the fire under them that we need.”
While the new leasing manager could not talk on camera to KPRC2, residents said management has been focusing on cleaning up the place and making it safer to live in.
“I’ve told her she’s the best manager we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Nollman said.
KPRC2 also spoke to residents, like Lakrisha White, who said they haven’t seen drastic changes.
“We got hot water and the gas is on, but as far as them doing the A/C units for the mold and stuff, they have not done nothing about that,” White said. “I’ve been here three years.”
White is among several residents feuding with management about eviction notices for past due rent.