MEMPHIS,Tenn. — Residents at Shelby Pines are taking action.
They are sick of being intimidated by a property manager who they call a con-artist.
Code Enforcement officers are now taking them to court.
Our crew heard one horror story after the next, and almost every one of them involves mold.
Residents said they were down on their luck when they came here, but now they say the woman who appeared to be lending a helping hand, is taking advantage of them.
The amount of mold inside a shower three babies are cleaned in is enough to make you gag.
The property manager wouldn’t let our cameras on the property so we had to shoot the video on a cell phone.
There’s a reason they didn’t want us here.
Ashley Jeffries summed it up pretty clearly, “Mold, on top of mold, on top of mold. Cracks and leaks in the ceilings.”
A lot of people wanted to tell us about their issues with the manager, but they were too afraid to go on camera.
Jeffries says the manager threatens to evict them if they call code enforcement for help.
“She’s got people over here just terrified of her, but I’m one of the ones who’s not,” Jeffries said.
The woman Jeffries is referring to, is Evelyn Jones, the on-site property manager.
She didn’t want to talk to us on camera but told me this over the phone.
“I’m good to my residents so, whatever that young lady said, it’s not true.”
But the tenants here will tell you the complete opposite.
They say they’ve had to purchase their own stoves and refrigerators because Jones takes too long to make repairs.
Tuesday, she said they are working on it.
“When can people expect that to happen?” We asked.
Jones said, “We have flat roofs over here. All the repairs are being done. That’s not going to be a problem.”
This week more than a dozen families had their power shut off.
Jones says it’s because they were stealing it.
But off camera people told us Jones puts the power in her name and they pay her cash every month.
They don’t know if she’s actually paying the bills or pocketing the money.
Jeffries added, “Illegal evictions, illegal lights, it’s sad.”
Now code enforcement is involved and they are taking the property managers to court for a judge to decide if these are in fact substandard living conditions.
Residents know change will take time but say it’s worth it.
“If we don’t do anything about it change is never going to come,” Jeffries added.
Residents plan to fill that courtroom next week on July 16th so the judge sees how many people are affected by the decisions this management group makes on a daily basis.