LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The City of Little Rock's investigation into code violations for Big Country Chateau Apartments has been completed; with a new timeline to fix any code violations starting on Thursday.
Many residents shared that they're used to issues with mold and bugs, but when the water and electricity companies told tenants that they had a few weeks before shutoff, the city stepped in to investigate the complex.
On Wednesday night, Kevin Howard, Housing Director for the City of Little Rock Department of Housing and Neighborhood Programs stated that he believes it's unlikely the complex will be condemned based off information that he received from the fire marshal.
The official investigation report will be handed to apartment management on Thursday morning.
Howard added that individual apartment violations will still need to be fixed, in reference to an estimated 9 out of 11 buildings with gas lines that are not up to code.
The violations are divided into categories of life safety items, or things that pose a big risk to health and safety, and non-life safety items, such as smaller issues.
"Life safety items, you have seven days to get those corrected... non-life safety items, you have 30 days to get those corrected," Howard said.
If things aren't fixed on time, management could get fined. However, if water and electricity shut off next month, Howard said that's when the apartments could get shut down.
"Typically, then [without water/electricity] we will have to evacuate tenants out of it that property," Howard said.
Little Rock has already prepared $50,000 for temporary hotel relocations if needed, as Big Country management said the owners are working to pay the power bill and cut a deal with the water company.
But residents like Amy Black feel stuck are beginning to feel stuck.
"We've held up our end of the bargain as tenants, you know, we keep we pay our rent, or utilities are included in our rent. So I had no idea that this was coming," Black said.
Among about 100 other families, Black lives with her husband and their 7-week-old baby August. She explained that her son has lived at the Big Country Chateau apartments his entire life, and now has health issues.
"You can hear him the congestion, you know, and he'll like, be drinking his bottle and then have to like choke, you know, because he's, he's got so much stuff going on...his pediatrician told us was that it was, you know, due to mold indoors," Black said.
But the apartment owners have more to worry about than just Big Country since they own at least 3 other properties in Arkansas and at least 2 others across the country-- with some facing similar shut-off concerns.
Arkansas Renters United, a local activist group, has been working to connect the dots in hopes of finding a solution to help tenants in need across the country.
"They have a whole base of limited liability corporations...we're talking to different organizations across the city to see if they can come in and help," Neil Sealy with Arkansas Renters United said.
Even still, with just 30 days before possible shutoff, many residents are struggling to find and afford a solution of their own.
"We just want a safe place to raise our kids. I mean, I didn't feel like it was too much to ask. But lately, it seems like it's insurmountable," Black added.
Management explained on Wednesday that one of their issues is that residents haven't been paying their rent on time.
Some residents told us that they're holding off on paying their rent until they know for sure if they'll have water and electricity on September 1st.