Connecticut launched an investigation into a Rocky Hill apartment complex after unsafe living conditions led to the building being condemned.
Concierge Apartments resident Alex Devol, moved into the complex with his fiancée in August. Devol didn’t notice anything wrong with the apartment until the weather turned cold in December.
“We noticed, it's kind of drafty in here. There's no insulation. It's really cold,” Devol said. “Even when we turned the heat up, it didn't really stay warm. The last couple of months, we've been paying like, $400 or $500 for electricity to heat our apartment.”
In the aftermath of January’s snowstorm, several pipes burst in the complex, leading to flooding and damage. Water service disruptions have persisted at their apartment as a result.
Devol and his fiancée recently left their apartment voluntarily and are staying in a hotel.
“We didn't have any flooding or bursting of pipes. We lost hot water for three or four days,” Devol said. “Then our shower, the drain froze, and water started coming up out of the shower. It's like three inches of standing water in the bottom of our shower. The water pressure kind of just disappeared.”
The town of Rocky Hill condemned the impacted buildings, requiring residents of 544 apartments to evacuate, according to Town Manager Ray Carpentino.
About 2,000 residents were impacted and have since moved temporarily into hotels or family members’ homes, Carpentino said.
As a result of the management company’s insufficient response to the emergency, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced Monday an investigation into the company and its maintenance of the buildings.
“We shouldn't be here, and it's the result of years and years, it's clear to me of deferred maintenance and neglect,” Tong said. “That's why we're here, and that's why people are suffering. Because of that, in this investigation, we are literally going to bring the heat to Concierge.”
Tong said the condition of the buildings is a result of prolonged neglect and noted at least three people have died at the apartments in the last year. However, Tong could not confirm whether the deaths were related to the buildings’ condition.
“I made the point because there are three fatalities on this property, and including one the last couple of weeks,” Tong said. “It's my understanding that because of maintenance failures at the property, that emergency responders had a hard time getting out, and that the town of Rocky Hill and the fire department had to deploy its own resources to remove snow and to get in and out, which is not acceptable.”
In a statement released Monday evening, Concierge Apartments’ property management, JRK Holdings, said the claims of residents being without heat for days or weeks are false.
“All of our buildings have had heat during the entire period of time that our piping and plumbing have been affected by the extreme cold,” the statement read. “Only four of our residents reported a loss of heat; repairs were made to those four units within 24 hours and heat was restored.”
JRK said residents will be able to return to their homes in the coming days and will be compensated for the inconvenience.
“We are providing a one-month rent credit to all our residents. We are also providing an additional one month rent credit or the ability to break leases without penalty to residents whose apartments lost hot or cold water,” the statement read. “In addition, we will reimburse our residents’ out-of-pocket costs, including for lost food, medications, and alternative child care, for the period they were displaced from their apartments.”
