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Greensboro woman said she went three months with a sewage leak in her apartment before it was fixed

The raw sewage line was old and rusted. The pipe caused a leak in the bathroom that created a horrible smell. So Allison Anderson had no choice but to close it off.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Allison Anderson is always smiling when talking about the apartment where she recently moved. The new unit she said is a huge step up from where she and her fiancé have been living for the past year and a half.

Anderson tells WFMY News 2 her last apartment was fine at first but soon became a nightmare. The worst of it culminated when a sewage leak in the bathroom took three months to repair. Anderson said she closed off the bathroom and didn’t use it because of the leak and the raw sewage on the floor. “I was overwhelmed, I mean it blows my mind,” Anderson said. “I don’t understand how someone can be so thoughtless.”

Anderson said the complex was slow to respond and didn’t fix the problem until finally telling her a contractor would have to rip up the carpet and dig a trench in her living room and kitchen to access the pipe. There were other issues according to Anderson that also went unaddressed for several months. The upstairs bathroom worked but did not flush properly. There was also a massive hole in the drywall that was cut open from a previous repair that Anderson said was never fixed. “We are afterthoughts,” Anderson said.

When the complex hired contractors to pull up and replace the sewage pipe the water in the unit had to be shut off. Anderson said the complex only offered to allow her to use an unoccupied unit to shower and cook. “They expected me to walk to another unit with all my food and make dinner and then bring it back to eat,” Anderson said.

The couple instead chose to stay in a hotel for a few nights with the hopes of being reimbursed. The repairs took a bit longer than expected and Anderson said when crews replaced the cabinets and countertops it was not well done.“I’m not okay with it,” Anderson said.

When News 2 went to speak with Anderson the countertop was being installed. You could see cut lines on the countertop that should not be there. The opening for the sink was cut too big so there was an open area on one side. “It was bad,” Anderson said.

The couple had enough and wanted to move to another apartment complex but had a signed lease agreement. News 2 contacted the corporate office and spoke with a representative about the situation. The representative acknowledged some issues with Anderson’s apartment but said the company is working to fix them and improve the overall quality of the complex.

Anderson called us back about a week after we spoke with the representative and told us the apartment complex is allowing her to break the lease without any penalties. The complex also reimbursed Anderson for the hotel and did not charge her for the last two months she lived there. “You getting in touch with them (corporate office) and opening their eyes to what was going on pushed them to do the right thing,” Anderson said. “I appreciate (News 2) thank you.”

News 2 did try to reach out to the representative several times after our initial call but never heard back. Anderson and her fiancée are glad to put this experience behind them. They tell us the new complex is great and things are going really well. 

    

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