Local

Washington Heights tenant speaks out about mold, termites, mice inside Jacksonville apartment

By Courtney Cole, Action News Jax and Action News Jax
By Courtney Cole, Action News Jax and Action News Jax

Pictures of rodents and termites found inside a local apartment complex in Jacksonville were given to Action News Jax by a tenant at the Washington Heights Apartments in Ribault.

Alishia Taylor moved into her apartment in Washington Heights nearly a year ago, and while any home or apartment has the potential to have problems,Taylor said she wasn't expecting to deal with mold, mice and termites over the span of seven to eight months.

“It was just like one thing after another,” said Taylor.
Taylor walked Action News Jax's Courtney Cole through the apartment to show her where the termites were showing up in her kitchen and living room wall.
In a picture Taylor sent to Action News Jax, you can see the termites in a mound on the floor.
A pest control worker told Taylor the termites are coming from underground.
"So he said if they’re in my apartment, the whole building is affected, because they don’t just target one apartment," said Taylor.
Mice have also gnawed a hole that starts outside her apartment and ends inside her home, according to Taylor.
She used a butter knife to show us how the mice have used a hollow side of her cabinets as a tunnel into her kitchen.
Taylor told Cole the management office won’t do anything about it, so she had to get her own form of rodent control: cats.
“I ended up getting another, bigger cat and he stays in here. He sleeps up here, so he can hear. He actually goes in the kitchen to keep them at bay,” said Taylor.

Taylor isn't the only one in the complex with these problems; she said other residents have them, but they're afraid to speak up because they're afraid they'll get an eviction notice.

Action News Jax tried to go to the management office on-site to get answers, but the property manager told her the office was closed on Wednesdays and to contact Millennia Housing Management Ltd.
When Cole reached out to Millennia, she had to leave two voicemails. 

After she called Millennia Management a third time, she was able to reach Jeff Crossman.

Crossman is the PR manager for the housing management company and he told Action News Jax the company is dedicated to helping its tenants resolve any issues they may have.

Crossman told Action News Jax they have been managed the property for about a year now.

The company has plans to revitalize the property; that’s set to begin in July.

Crossman said their objective is to make the apartment nice enough that his family could live in them.

Crossman says he believes Taylor is only speaking out about her living conditions because she received an eviction notice.

“They tried to make us feel like we’re supposed to live in deplorable conditions and be OK with it, and it’s not OK,” Taylor said. 

Action News Jax also sent Crossman pictures taken by the tenant, that display issues in her apartment.

Crossman responded and said these issues were resolved several months ago.

He also said, “With respect to pest control, there is ongoing treatment across the property.  Additional treatments are added if there is an issue reported.  Apparently, there was a mice issue once management started cleaning out storm drains earlier in the year (February I believe).”

Cox Media Group

”Draft Draft Night in Duval: Thursday at 7PM on FOX30

Most Read