‘I don’t even know what to think,’ one said. ‘I’m in trouble, I’m already sick, I’m frustrated. I’m ready to fight.’
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Frigid temperatures were already causing problems for tenants without heat at an apartment complex in Cleveland Heights Thursday, ahead of even colder air moving in.
The conditions inside Stephanie Tisder’s apartment are far from ideal. When she’s at home, she opens the oven to try to heat up her home. She knows it’s dangerous and a fire hazard, but with no working heat, she doesn’t know what else to do.
“It’s been horrible. It’s very frustrating,” Tisder said. “I’ve contracted flu and pneumonia from this. I’ve been admitted. My asthma has been affected by it.”
Tisder has only lived in Yellowstone Apartments in Cleveland Heights since November. She said the heat went out for three weeks over Thanksgiving. Management fixed the problem but then the heat went out again last week and ever since, she and others have been bundling up.
“Because I’m freezing. It’s very cold in here. I go to bed like this at times,” she said while wearing her winter coat and hat.
“Probably be better off going outside and building an igloo,” Cory Wofford said with a chuckle.
Like Tisder, Wofford has reached out to Westfield-X Management multiple times.
“It’s kind of frustrating. I see they’re trying to do something out there, but they’ve been trying for a long time,” he said.
3News’ Kaitor Kay and Matt Rascon also reached out to management by phone and by email on Thursday. We will update this story when we receive a response.
“I’ve heard that some [tenants have heard back from management] with the promise that the heat will be on tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. And when tomorrow comes the heat is still not on,” Tisder said.
Maintenance workers told 3News the problem is a catastrophic failure of the boiler. They have to replace its core, they said, which is not easy, but neither is living in conditions without heat and with an even bigger drop in temperatures in the coming days.
“We’re so afraid of a fire hazard here, of course,” Tisder said. “I don’t even know what to think—I’m in trouble. I’m already sick. I’m frustrated. I’m ready to fight.”
Tisder said she is preparing to take legal action with a lawsuit for negligence. She also said she’s looking forward to moving into a warmer place. She said her apartment has failed three inspections making her contract void.
“I’m not under any lease, no. It’s over with for me. Thank God,” she said.
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