Midtown Apartment remains without hot water and heat, tenants say

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Midtown apartment complex remains without hot water and heat as we head into single-digit weather these next few days.

The Venue Apartments off Central Avenue was once full of more than 250 residents, and some are being forced to move out.

One resident said she has multiple space heaters, another said she and her family have had to go to gyms just to shower.

The problem is, management has not told them how much longer this will persist.

On November 22, it all came to a head when a carbon monoxide leak forced residents to evacuate, five people were hospitalized and four pets died as a result.

RELATED: 4 animals dead, 5 people hospitalized after carbon monoxide leak at apartment complex

One resident said she’s lived in the building for more than three years.

“I had to move out. I can’t go without heat and hot water, I have health issues and I couldn’t live under those circumstances.”

She has texts, emails, and other correspondence from building managers with updates.

One on November 29 said ‘we are still doing everything in our ability to resolve this issue, but the investigation is still ongoing’.

Another on December 12, said they were turning off the power to the building in an effort to restore the heat and hot water.

The most recent email came Monday, asking for residents with cars parked on the Central Avenue side to move cars in order to try to restore hot water and heat.

But still, she said there’s been no improvement.

“It does not make me want to stay there at all, I don’t really wanna go back down there.”

The resident said she’s had to find a temporary place for her cat to stay and has been forced to live with friends for the time being.

But she said more than a month without essential utilities, and no answers are sad.

“They never really addressed anything to the poor people who ended up in the hospital, the people who had animals that died, they’re lucky no people died under the circumstances.”

FOX13 reached out to the complex’s property management group and has not gotten a response back yet.

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