Send Ben: Local mother rented home without running water

Florida — Update 7:20 p.m.: Action News Jax reporter Ben Becker received video of water running in the home Tuesday evening, hours after his investigation aired on Action News Jax.

Original Story: Action News Jax is getting results for a local mother who says she rented a home and was never told by the real estate agent or owner it didn’t have running water because of a leak.

“Absolutely no water no anything,” Rashaundra Brookins-Kirk told Action News Jax investigator Ben Becker. “Try to turn the water on, completely nothing.”

Brookins-Kirk told Becker she paid a $750 deposit and $375 of prorated rent to get the keys to her home in Springfield, only to discover the water was not working.

“This is nothing you would expect to encounter, especially when you signed name on dotted line,” said Brookline-Kirk.

Brookins-Kirk signed a rental agreement with real estate agent Corey Clarkston of St. Johns Properties on Friday. But according to JEA, it received a report of a water leak on the property in Jan. 14 and confirmed that day that a sizable leak existed within the customer’s equipment (outside of JEA’s purview) and the water was turned off to prevent further water loss. JEA said that call came from Clarkston.

Becker called Clarkston to find out why the property was rented even though it had no running water because of the leak and is awaiting a return call.

However, Brookins-Kirk did receive a message from the property management company not long after Becker reached out to JEA, saying “a plumber is supposed to be at the property shortly.”

The maintenance manager showed up and told Becker the issue was an intake pipe that would be repaired immediately.

It’s been a hard process,” said Brookline-Kirk. “I told my boyfriend Deion I’m going to call Ben and see how he can assist me with this”

Any customer with service availability questions should contact JEA at (904) 665-6000 or email Ben at sendben@actionnewsjax.com.

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