CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In a new Troubleshooters report, a woman living in an apartment caring for a disabled man is being forced out, even after the unit was damaged by a recent fire.
Tanya Perkins said she and James Branch moved into Apartment 37 at the Alameda Apartments on South Alameda in July 2024.
Branch is 100% disabled. Perkins further claims that to date, management has not provided her with a paper copy of her one-year lease.
She also remembers repeatedly telling them about problems with her a/c unit that never quite got fixed correctly, although, management DID provide portable units, but that drove her electricity bill up to $800. Management paid a portion of the bill.
On Feb. 9 there was a fire in a closet in Unit 37. No one was hurt, but Perkins recalls firefighters asking her about a wire dangling outside her apartment, to the roof.
This is what it looked like the day the Troubleshooters were there. In their report about the fire, the Corpus Christi Fire Department wrote:
1. Equipment involved in ignition - air conditioner
2. Cause of Ignition - failure of equipment of heat source
3. Factors contributing to ignition–installation deficiency
"Tenants thought HVAC unit wasn’t in service, now working, but there was still power there to it, so that’s probably why they didn’t know there was an issue once it caught fire," CCFD Fire Marshall Tony Perez said.
Management did provide Perkins and Branch with a different unit for a night, but, according to Perkins, they told them that since they didn’t have a first-floor unit available for Branch, he and Perkins would have to move out of the complex.
The Troubleshooters spoke to the new on-site manager, who said they would send our contact information to ownership. No response has been received.
The Troubleshooters were able to search and find that Alameda Apartments LLC is based out of Lakewood, New Jersey. The first time the Troubleshooters called and identified ourselves, they hung up. The last two calls went straight to voicemail.
Management then notified Perkins and Branch that as of Thursday, Feb. 13, their lease would be terminated.
"We paid our full rent for the month and we still have half a month left, and she just said we’re terminating your lease," Perkins said.
The Troubleshooters checked with Perkins and Branch on Tuesday, Feb. 25. They are still in Apartment 37 just trying to stay warm, just trying to survive. Management has now given them till March 1 to move out.