Buford residents upset about apartment mold

BUFORD, Ga. — Residents of a Buford apartment complex said they're fed up with living with mold, leaks and floors that are caving in.
 
Channel 2 Action News reported in June that the city of Buford issued an abatement notice at the Hartford Run Apartments calling them "unfit for human habitation."
       
From newly installed railings to construction dumpsters to workers on Wednesday,
Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh found evidence of repairs happening across the complex on Buford Highway. Still, some residents think it's not nearly enough.
 
Since Channel 2 Action News first visited the complex, the city and the apartment complex have entered into a consent agreement. Kavanaugh got a copy of it through an open records request. It lays out a timeline for when several exterior repairs have to be made.

Some residents are upset because they said no one is addressing the problems inside their homes.

"They're not even focusing on the interior of the apartments," said resident Lisa Hicks.
 
Hicks said her biggest concern is the visible mold above her shower and the property manager's advice on how to handle it.
 
"Open up your window, that window right there and just let it ventilate," Hicks said.
 
Gary Straight said in his unit, floors are softening and in some spots, sloping.
 
"The pipes burst and the water gets under the vinyl. It just lays there and has no way to dry out," Straight said.
 
Straight also showed the visible mold in his bathroom.
 
"They just keep giving me the run-around," Straight said.
 
Kavanaugh has asked the city of Buford why it appears officials are only cracking down on external repairs at Hartford Run.

"The city has also received complaints concerning purported interior issues such as mold.  In this regard, the city is contacting the Gwinnett County Health Department and has notified the property owner," city of Buford attorney Gregory Jay said in a statement. "As a matter of course, residential dwellings are inspected and permitted at the time they are constructed.  Absent a complaint, notification or remodel, the city does not periodically inspect residential properties nor do they have the right to enter onto someone's property or their home."
 
Hicks said she is in the process of moving out.

"It takes a lot of money to just pack it up and move," she said.
 
She said she stopped paying rent when the big red abatement sign went up.
 
Kavanaugh contacted the attorney for the Hartford Run apartments about the residents' concerns. He is in Alabama, and she is waiting to hear back from him.

WSBTV