John R Apartments

*BUYER BEWARE: These apartments are NOTHING like the pictures loftpace.com posts on their website! Even if you are considering another property, know that there are currently three class-action lawsuits in place against this company.*
We (my husband, our then 15-month old son, myself, and our dog) moved into the John R Apartments in October of 2013, from out-of-state, needing immediate residence. There were several issues with the unit that we reported on our move-in condition form. For starters, the apartment was absolutely FILTHY. We spent days scrubbing grease and grime off of every surface, especially the kitchen cupboards, floor, and stove. There are two windows that do not close completely, one window pane that has a crack running across it, several broken outlets, a running toilet, and our stove is missing parts. None of these issues have ever been addressed, despite persistent complaints.
In November, we noticed that the heat was not working at all. We were told to buy a space heater for which we would be reimbursed $50 off of our next month’s rent. Since the heat has been on and working, it has never been sufficient. The space heater has to be on for the bedroom to be a bearable temperature.
By the end of December, not even the space heater set on high AND the unit heater (which we were still told was ON and WORKING) together could keep our bedroom warm. We ended up blocking off the bedroom completely and moving into the living room, bed and all. Further complaints were made, not only by us but by several tenants, but no action was taken.
In the beginning of January, I entered the bedroom to feed my fish, and found that the 3-gallon tank had frozen solid, even though it was pushed up against the unit heater. Again, we complained and were told that the heat was on and working.
We submitted a letter stating that we were withholding rent until our apartment was made livable. That same day, the water stopped working (due to burst pipes- which wouldn’t have happened if the building was properly heated), and the power went out. We were forced to leave for safety reasons and have not yet been able to return.
A few days later, pipes burst in our ceiling. We were contacted by the management and asked to get there as soon as possible. The damage is extensive and also poses an electrical hazard. A maintenance team was called in to assess the damage. When they entered, water was actively leaking from the ceiling and walls. They ripped the stove from the wall, still plugged in and hooked to the gas line, and cut a large hole in the wall behind it. The piece of wall that they cut away was discarded in our bathtub, along with a piece of wood removed from the bathroom ceiling and a small cutout from the kitchen/living room area. No further “repairs” were made that day, and none have been made to date. The maintenance team made no effort to clean up after themselves, and didn’t put the stove back either.
We were recently mailed an eviction notice for nonpayment of rent. This has been the company’s only response to our situation. As of January 28, 2014, our apartment has been completely unlivable for 21 days. Despite our repeated complaints and phone calls, we have not been given any estimate on when our apartment will be livable again, or when any repairs will begin.