KENT, Wash. – A mother of two is dealing with a Christmas nightmare. Her apartment was flooded more than a week ago after a pipe burst and she's still waiting on the landlord to address all the damage done.
Sarah Timmons and her two young children have been staying with family, even though the property manager at Chandler's Bay Apartments claims repairs have been made and the unit is livable. Fresh off a nasty divorce, Timmons says she's now fighting for a safe place to live, and it hasn't been easy.
The pipe burst in Timmons' third floor apartment on Dec. 11, flooding her unit and two more below her.
"We opened the door and there was enough water to be dumping out the door," said Timmons.
Timmons documented the damage. The ceiling collapsed in the closet. Fiberglass is everywhere. Outside, the roof is bowed over the doorway. And more problems are showing up.
"You can see holes in the wall. It's just getting worse. Dry rot, issues with mold and infrastructure," said Timmons.
There have been some repairs made. The carpet's been replaced in one bedroom and the collapsed ceiling in the closet is repaired. But Sarah says that's only the tip of the iceberg. Fiberglass still covers the floor and her belongings where 2-year-old Margot likes to play.
"It's an unhealthy environment especially for kids on carpets. They play on carpets. 2-year-olds are known for that," said Timmons.
Even Margot got to work trying to clean up the mess, which is more than Timmons can say for the landlord.
"I just don't want to deal with it anymore. I just want to get my kids back in a stable environment," she said.
We spoke with Equity Residential, which owns Chandler's Bay. They tell us they have offered to move Timmons to another unit, but only if she signs a waiver releasing the company of any further liability. Timmons doesn't want to sign it since she also hopes to be reimbursed for her damaged belongings and her rent pro-rated. Equity Residential says they weren't aware of other problems but promises to work directly with Timmons to reach a resolution.
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