Bedrooms full of mold, the uncertainty if water will run from the kitchen sink and a looming threat of total closure. The tenants at Big Country Chateau on Colonel Glenn have consistently faced management neglect for years.
Deloise McDaniel was one in the group of tenants who gathered in front of Little Rock City Hall Thursday to deliver a letter that highlighted unsafe living conditions and requested help from Mayor Frank Scott Jr. and the city Board of Directors.
“We live in apartments that are substandard and a danger to our health with mold, roaches, water and sewage leaks and back-ups,” the letter read. “Management has been absent for months. Maintenance has never been good, but now the maintenance workers are gone. There is no security. The complex is not safe.”
In response to the letter, Scott provided a statement Monday. “City staff is closely following the developments at Big Country Chateau,” Scott said. “The health and safety of our residents is of utmost concern to this administration, and we continue to work with our City Attorney to determine any action we can take to prevent displacement of these tenants.”
McDaniel has lived in one of the complex’s 150 units for nearly four years, and said it is “extremely stressful. One day you think it’s OK, and the next they come with this timeline [for shut-offs].”
The tenants at Big Country Chateau are mostly elderly, disabled or have children, according to the letter. Many of the costs associated with moving exceed what the tenants are capable of paying. Some tenants also have records with poor credit, prior evictions or felonies that make finding quality housing difficult.
Alongside representatives from the tenant-assistance group Arkansas Renters United, tenants called for help from city and state officials. Attorney General Tim Griffin showed Thursday to share some details from the legal side.
“We’re pursuing our legal options, but as you know, sometimes the legal side of it doesn’t move as quickly as we would like it,” Griffin said. While waiting, Griffin said that he called Entergy, the apartment’s energy company, to work out a deal. He said that the company would delay the approaching shut-off, but Griffin said there is no date certain.
“We’re working with them [Entergy] day-to-day, and I don’t expect any surprises. I expect them to continue to work with us. If we need more time, we’ll ask for more time.”
Griffin said he is also in communication with Central Arkansas Water to delay its shut-off, which was most recently scheduled for March 1. Now-Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge in August sued the property owners, New Jersey-based Apex Equity Group, under consumer protection law.
Al Allen with Arkansas Renters United said that she is unsure exactly how many tenants still live in the apartments because some folks with no other housing options are staying in vacant units. From the city to state level, Allen highlighted how crucial it is that the tenants receive help.
“We need the city of Little Rock, we need the state of Arkansas getting involved because we can’t have 40 families being put on the street,” Allen said. “If we’re a pro-life state, then let’s stay to it.”
Inside City Hall, about 10 tenants gathered in the corralled pre-security area of the rotunda. Not let beyond the security check, tenant Phillip Harris delivered the letter to City Clerk Susan Langley on Thursday. City Attorney Tom Carpenter also talked with the tenants about their concerns, but said he was unable to provide any legal advice.
“We are in desperate need of help,” said tenant Angela Sanders, who has lived at Big Country Chateau for four and a half years. “No managers, no maintenance, we are on our own. … We should not have to suffer, and we should not have to be punished.”
Carpenter agreed that the tenants shouldn’t be suffering, but without facts from code enforcement inspections, not much can be done. Nearly 1,000 violations, many of them life-safety violations, were found in the complex over the summer. The majority of the violations were deemed taken care of at the last court hearing in November. A subsequent hearing was set for 1 p.m. Feb. 2 in the Little Rock environmental court.
Carpenter said that the tenants’ concerns differ from what has been brought in court, and an additional inspection will happen in the coming days before the hearing.
Allen questioned Thursday, “Every time the tenants have a claim, it has to be backed up very heavily. Every time this property owner has a claim, it’s just a claim and it’s just accepted.”
Arkansas laws largely favor the landlord. According to the attorney general’s website, a landlord can terminate a lease for any reason: “Even model tenants may be subject to having a lease terminated.” A rental property is also taken “as is,” which means that the landlord is not required to provide additional maintenance. However, health standards must be followed.
“Even if a landlord does not make a promised repair, the tenant should continue to pay the rent,” according to the attorney general’s website.
The delivered letter calls for help in both working with the utility services to extend service, it also asks that “city government take the lead in convening service providers, churches, community organizations and other organizations who can get us permanent housing.”