DECATUR, Ga. — Residents of the Villas at Decatur in DeKalb County continue to face maintenance and pest problems. This is despite the management office and the company: First Communities, being given an April 1 deadline by the DeKalb County Office of Code Compliance to address these issues.
Shuntaye Cooley, a resident of the complex, shared photos and videos of mold and holes inside her apartment on Monday. She also reported not having a stove, and having leaky faucets and bathtubs. Cooley claims to have been complaining about these issues for months, but management has not addressed them.
"Things are pretty much the same. Even worse, we don't have mailbox keys, still a lot of trash, still a lot of rodents, rats, a lot of trash," Cooley said.
On Monday, security did not let 11Alive enter the property of the apartment complex. Residents sent photos of the damage in their complexes via text message.
Cooley and other tenants first contacted 11Alive in January. At the time, the residents said the mailboxes on the property were so badly damaged the postal service would not deliver the mail.
The complex addressed these issues in February, but other problems remained. Cooley said the issues are impacting her and other residents in the complex.
"They have a real pest problems for as rats bigger than the cats. They're not trying to make the pest problem go away," Cooley said.
Cooley showed the extent of the damage last month – when she was still refused a key to her mailbox. She was told she would have to pay a fine and resign her lease to receive a key. Cooley also pointed to other issues, such as exposed wiring and no running water in the kitchen. She said these issues have remained unaddressed.
The DeKalb County Office of Code Compliance has been monitoring the complex for over a year and issued citations for extermination issues in one unit last Friday. The office's Deputy Director, Timothy Hardy, plans to meet with management to discuss the next steps before a court hearing scheduled for April 10.
"They're working towards it. They still have a lot of work to do," Hardy said.
Hardy said the complex submitted a plan to address the numerous compliance issues. He said he doesn't expect the repairs to be finished before June.
"We communicate with them on a regular basis. You know, they're slow about... bringing the place into compliance. When you talk about the overall valuation, but since they've made the management change, we certainly feel like they've been a little bit more responsive," Hardy said.
Despite multiple attempts to reach the Villas at Decatur and the management company, First Communities, for comment, 11Alive has not received a response. With the April 1 deadline now passed, residents like Cooley are left wondering what their next steps will be in addressing these ongoing issues.