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Residents denied mailbox keys at DeKalb County apartment complex

Tenants told 11Alive they were asked to pay a surcharge fee to receive keys to their mailboxes

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Residents of the Villas at Decatur are struggling to receive their mail due to issues with their mailboxes.

Shuntaye Cooley, a resident at the property, has been trying to get a key to her mailbox for some time. In an interview with 11Alive News, she explained that the post office stopped delivering mail months earlier because of issues with the mailboxes.

Last month, Cooley showed the news team her old mailbox, which was damaged and refused to close. Other residents also experienced issues with their mailboxes. However, Cooley noted that the United States Postal Service had approved new mailboxes for the property.

Cooley and other residents are now facing another issue: they have to pay off their balances and renew with a $400 fee in order to receive their federal mailbox keys.

RELATED: Residents say problems persist at Decatur apartment complex

The problem prevented Cooley from receiving her W-2 forms, prescriptions, and checks. Without this, she said she's not able to pay her bills, including her rent. The problems, she said have persisted to the point where she has to find workarounds.

In February, Cooley complained of more problems that the apartment complex had refused to fix.

"No heating, no air conditioning, no stoves. Like, they refused to fix anything," she said.

Cooley said she's lived at the Villas at Decatur since 2019. The problems, she said began almost immediately – and getting those problems addressed is a frustrating challenge.

Javanna Nash, another resident at the property, has not received her mail since October and has been unable to obtain a key. She had to change her address to a family member's address to receive her mail.

11Alive attempted to contact First Communities, which oversees the property, but has not received a response. The situation has left many residents frustrated and struggling to receive their mail.

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