GREENSBORO, N.C. — Every time it rained, Ashley Le’Gette got worried. If it rained too much or too hard for a short period of time, her apartment would often flood.
“The third time, no one was home, so I got (home), and water was all the way to the door, (it was) about an inch or so of water,” Le’Gette said.
The cleanup would often take several hours. Le’Gette would use her Swiffer to push the water out the front door.
“My vacuum was ruined, (my) kids had bean bags, I had a nice rug that’s gone,” Le’Gette said.
The water would make its way into the house from the back porch. A fence surrounds the concrete patio. What would start to pool and eventually find its way inside? The only drain in the back patio was several inches off the ground.
“How is it supposed to drain,” Le’Gette said.
The final straw came when Le’Gette came home after heavy rain, and there was almost an inch of water in parts of her apartment. Le’Gette said she notified the manager several times, and while they tried to patch the spot where the water was getting inside, it continued to happen.
Eventually, Le’Gette told the manager she wanted out of her rental agreement so she could move. Le’Gette said she was told she could move but had to pay an early termination fee.
“They (the complex) knew this (the flooding) was an issue before I even got here, and they’re still leasing it out knowing there was a problem,” Le’Gette said.
After the third time, the apartment flooded, and when Le’Gette was told that if she left early, she’d have to pay a termination fee, she reached out to WFMY News 2 for some help.
We immediately contacted a representative from the apartment complex and asked about the issues with the apartment flooding and why the complex was planning to charge Le’Gette for leaving early.
It didn’t take long for the complex to start improving the back patio area. A new ground-level drain was installed to allow water to drain before it built up and breached the home.
While the improvements are certainly an improvement, Le’Gette still planned to move because of the three previous floods.
The complex eventually agreed to allow Le’Gette out of her lease without paying any termination fee.
“Once you got involved, they got a solution going,” Le’Gette said.
If you ever find yourself in a dispute with a landlord, notify them of the issue in writing so that if it comes to court, you’ll have a documented record of everything that went on.
In Le’Gette’s case, the complex was aware of the ongoing flooding issues and allowed her to leave early.
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Subscribe to our daily newsletter, Let’s Get 2 It!
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.