ATLANTA — Some Metro Atlanta residents said they are being forced to live in unbearable conditions which include rats and mold. Residents at the Woodland Heights Apartments gave 11Alive a firsthand look at the concerns.
“It’s a hole right there, where the rat come out of there and goes under my bed,” said a Woodland Heights resident who wanted to keep her identity sealed.
She said the rat infestation in her apartment is so bad that she worries about putting her infant daughter on the floor. While 11Alivie's crew was there, our camera saw one of the rodents caught in a trap.
“They came on my bed. They were in my kids clothes on the first day of school. It ran past my hands. I went to my rental office and told them and no one has helped, they still have not come and do anything. It’s about to be a whole another year,” said the resident.
But rats are only part of the issue.
“This has been here since we been in here, look, these are holes that we covered up, all of these are holes right here" said another resident who showed us several large holes throughout her apartment. "This sink has been stopped up, we can’t use this."
The resident also said the kitchen is inoperable with no working fridge, stove or sink.
When leaving that unit, another resident asked us to take a look at their concerns.
“They had so many gnats in this room that they were coming through the vents. Gnats were coming out the floor so they had to pull the carpet up. This carpet here was mildew so they had to pull it up," they said.
Those we spoke to asked us to hide their identity out of fear that management will terminate they their lease for complaining and said the issues are also outside the apartments.
While we were shooting video, management asked 11Alive to leave.
As for the residents living at Woodland Heights, they said they have no choice but to tolerate the unhealthy living conditions, including the mold.
“They just covered it up with paint on top of the mold, they didn’t do what they were supposed to do,” a fifth Woodland Heights resident shared.
She said breathing in her apartment is difficult because of mold on her ceiling and wall.
“My kids, they have asthma real bad, all of us. We're coughing consistently, at the hospital consistently, no help. If you come here you can see all mold on the window," she said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the city said Woodland Heights is a priority property for the City's Safe and Secure Initiative and that the team visited the location on multiple occasions for enforcement. The statement went on to say they are pursuing multiple violations at this location.
11Alive also reach out to the management company but they declined to comment.