UNIVERSAL CITY, Texas – Current and former residents at Falcon Ridge Apartments said there are more issues at the property than a Dec. 7 fire.
Former residents Faith Martinez and Kalyn Hoagland both said they moved out of the complex because of extensive issues they experienced, including rodents.
“One night I had woken up, and I hear something in between my bedroom wall and my living room wall,” Martinez said. “I started hearing things in the kitchen … I would go in there, and I would see rats … they were huge.”
Implicity Management Company, which manages the property, said the complex maintains a contract with a pest management service that treats the property monthly and provides service to units upon request.
“Rodent activity can be challenging in this area due to surrounding open fields,” Implicity president Jody Marquez said.
Rats were just part of the problem, however.
Martinez said that the complex would sometimes not have heat during the winter or air conditioning during the summer.
“I was pregnant at the time, and it went out,” Hoagland said, “and I had no A/C for months, and it was in the summer going into winter.”
In response, the property management company said there may have been temporary interruptions, due to a majority of units being gas-powered, while it restored service.
Hoagland said the biggest issue she had with the complex was a gas leak.
“Fire department came out, had to turn my gas off,” Hoagland said. “They detected carbon monoxide in my apartment.”
According to the management complex, all apartments have carbon monoxide detectors, and are “not aware of any reported incidents involving carbon monoxide detection failures.”
Hoagland said that the matter is documented with the Universal City Fire Department.
“They told the office and nothing,” Hoagland said, “nothing got done.”
KSAT reached out to the Universal City Fire Department for the calls for service to this complex and is awaiting their response. (The department is still within its legal timeframe to reply to the records request.)
Two current residents mentioned experiencing similar issues, but asked to remain anonymous because they are still tenants.
In its statement to KSAT, Implicity Management Company issued an apology to residents:
“While we strive to respond to all concerns as promptly as possible,“ the statement said, ”we recognize there may be times when circumstances impact response times.
“If any residents have been affected, we sincerely apologize and remain committed to addressing concerns responsibly and in accordance with safety requirements."
The Universal City Fire Department is still working to confirm the cause of the Dec. 7 fire.
Renters in Texas have rights to peace, quiet, health, safety and security. For detailed information on how to legally handle situations that may arise in your complex, click here.
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