CEDAR PARK, Texas — Residents at a Cedar Park apartment complex have been facing the winter weather without hot water.
Forest Six said he has been dealing with low water pressure and no hot water for a week.
“Kind of upset and a little bit angry,” said Six.
According to a Jan. 16 email sent to residents at the Greystar-owned Caliza Apartments in Cedar Park, some residents have been without water since Dec. 31. It also said some residents have no hot water or low water pressure and at least seven buildings are impacted.
Forest said management offered five apartments for everyone to share for showering and washing clothes until the issue is fixed.
“Five apartments, and most only had one of all the different appliances,” said Six. “So one might have a shower; one might have the washer and dryer working. It’s kind of a hit or miss, and you had to bounce around the different ones to get everything you need,” said Six.
Six said it was too complicated sharing with everyone, so he started showering at the gym or friends’ and family’s houses.
While KVUE visited the apartment, the water pressure came back.
In a statement, management wrote: “At Caliza we are actively addressing a complex plumbing issue affecting our property. We have brought in multiple contractors to assess and work on the situation and additional experts are onsite today as part of our ongoing efforts to resolve the matter as quickly and thoroughly as possible. We recognize the inconvenience this may cause for our residents and are committed to providing personalized assistance to address their individual concerns. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we continue to manage this issue.”
But as of Tuesday, Six still did not have hot water.
“It’s absolutely true that landlords have to provide hot and cold water,” said Austin Tenant Council (ATC) attorney Lea Downey Gallatin. “A lack of hot water is considered a threat to health and safety, which triggers some rights for tenants.”
She said if you find yourself in a similar situation, calling the Austin Code Department can help speed things up, or give ATC a call.
“One of the things that ATC can do is provide emergency repair mediations, and this can be really, really effective,” said Downey Gallatin.
Forest said he hopes calling KVUE will get his hot water back on faster.
“Kind of annoying. I really liked this place when we first moved in [five years ago], and now I can’t wait to get out,” he said.