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A northwest Oklahoma City mother says she and her children have been without running water for nearly a month, leaving them dependent on bottled water, borrowed showers and help from friends while they wait for answers from their apartment complex.
Michelle Magers, who lives at Tuscany Village Apartments, said the water to her building was shut off June 21 and had not been restored as of July 21.
For a month now, Magers says her family and other tenants in at least three buildings haven't had water.
She said the situation has forced her to purchase bottled water, replace dirty dishes and ask others for places where her family can shower.
"It's frustrating because my kids need water," Magers said. "We need water to live."
Mother Says Repeated Requests Have Gone Unanswered
Magers said water outages have occurred periodically since December, but none have lasted as long as the current disruption.
She said apartment management initially told residents the water would be restored within two weeks.
"It's been two weeks, and I still don't have water," she said.
Magers also alleged that attempts to contact on-site management have been unsuccessful.
"They kind of just brush it off," she said.
The prolonged outage has taken an emotional toll on her family.
"It makes me feel like a failure because my kids need water," Magers said.
Property Conditions Add to Residents' Concerns
Beyond the water outage, Magers described deteriorating conditions around her building, including broken windows, boarded-up windows and pieces of roofing lying on the ground.
RELATED: Residents left uncertain as apartment ownership dispute unfolds
"We've had a horrible experience," she said. "I'm ready to get out."
According to Magers, apartment management offered her a $200 rent credit and the option to end her lease one month early. She said the offer does not adequately address the hardship her family has endured.
"I think that we shouldn't have had to pay at all in July," she said.
Property Manager Responds
News 9 contacted Marc Kulick, who oversees Vesta Realty, the company managing Tuscany Village Apartments. Kulick said he was not aware of the reported water outage before being contacted.
In a statement, Kulick said:
City Confirms Unpaid Utility Balance
Late Tuesday, the City of Oklahoma City confirmed that Vesta Realty owes approximately $154,000 in unpaid utility bills.
It remains unclear whether those unpaid bills are connected to the water outage affecting residents at Tuscany Village.
Ownership Dispute Continues
Questions also remain about who owns the apartment complex.
While Vesta Realty manages Tuscany Village and operates 34 apartment communities nationwide, including about a dozen in the Oklahoma City metro area, Oklahoma County Assessor records dated July 17 list YSA Investments as the owner of Tuscany Village and seven other metro properties.
The ownership dispute is ongoing.
What Tenants Can Do
Under Oklahoma law, tenants seeking to terminate a lease because of unresolved habitability issues must first provide written notice to the landlord outlining the problem.
That notice is generally the first step in pursuing legal remedies or ending a lease early if the issue is not resolved.
