Nearly 550 units at Concierge Apartments in Rocky Hill were cleared after burst pipes unveiled unsafe living conditions. Now, the residents are receiving compensation.
At least 2,000 residents were displaced, according to Rocky Hill Town Manager Ray Carpentino. However, a spokesperson for JRK Holdings and Concierge says 900 people were displaced from just over 500 units.
Rocky Hill Mayor, Allan Smith, told Connecticut Public JRK Property Holding’s numbers may be based on how many residents are listed on leases and do not take into account residents who may not be listed.
“I know from talking to people that there's plenty more people that are living in the complex than are on leases,” Smith said. “That was always the question. How many people are above and beyond what was actually on paper?”
For about a week in early February, Concierge resident Daniel Bishop was forced to live out of a hotel after his apartment was evacuated.
Bishop and his girlfriend were among those who were forced out and had to move to a hotel. Bishop’s two senior cats struggled to adapt to their new temporary surroundings.
“It wasn't a good experience for the cats,” Bishop said. “If you can picture running an IV line on a shower line in a Sheridan Hotel into my cat's back to try to give her her IV, which we do at home every day. It was awful for them. They weren't eating.”
State and local officials, including Attorney General William Tong, helped broker a deal with the landlord and property management to compensate residents for the displacement and associated out-of-pocket expenses.
But, Bishop’s apartment building doesn’t qualify for all of the relief measures, including the option to break the lease without repercussion.
“I'm grateful for the effort that's been done, but I can still be disappointed in the end result and still going to explore different options, because it's not about the money. It's about health. It's about being free of this,” Bishop said.
A lack of building maintenance has led to burst pipes, unreliable heat and water supply and mold, among other health and safety concerns, according to Tong.
After about a month-long ordeal, more than half of the residents have returned to their apartments. However, two of the buildings are still vacant and undergoing work, Tong said.
The company’s payouts will total more than $5 million, according to Tong.
Tong credited the property management company, JKR Holdings, with coming from California to Connecticut for negotiations.
“This includes direct cash payments to residents' rent relief rights to terminate their leases, and this is to address the extreme health and safety violations and the disruption to the lives of the tenants and their families and their property,” Tong said.
A spokesperson for JKR Holdings and Concierge released a statement which said in part:
"Our focus throughout this incident has been completing emergency repairs, restoring critical building systems, meeting required safety inspections, and supporting residents through an extremely disruptive period."
As a result, residents of the three most-impacted buildings are given the option to terminate their leases early. Residents are also being offered three months of free rent and a cash payment of between $1,100 and $1,700, depending on the number of residents.
For residents of the two less-damaged buildings there is one month of free rent and a cash payment of $500.
All buildings are being offered a waiver for February utility costs and the option for a lease renewal at the same rent rate.
In the statement, the spokesperson for Concierge also emphasized the severe inconvenience this ordeal had on tenants.
"We recognize the strain this placed on residents, and this package reflects our continued commitment to supporting residents and ensuring this housing remains available for the Rocky Hill community as it grows in the years ahead," the statement read.
Tong is also working on future plans to better strengthen health and safety protocols at Concierge Apartments.
“We will announce a second agreement, that we are in the process of finalizing, about the health and safety measures that concierge will undertake to make sure this doesn't happen again,” Tong said.
