MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A Milwaukee woman has been living without hot water in her kitchen and dealing with leaking pipes since moving into her apartment in May, with little response from her landlord.
"My biggest concern is honestly safety at this point," Carol Perez said.
Perez has been forced to adapt to difficult living conditions in her north side Milwaukee apartment, including washing dishes in an unusual way.
"I just have not been using the kitchen sink. I've had a dish bucket that I keep down here and that's what I take to make hot water and do my dishes basically in the bathroom," Perez explained.
Watch: Milwaukee renter left with no hot water turns to TMJ4 as landlord lags on repairs
Perez emailed TMJ4 last week, expressing concerns about her landlord's lack of response.
The problems extend beyond just the lack of hot water. Perez showed TMJ4 leaking pipes under her sink and water damage in her ceiling.
"This leaks right now, so as you can see, with the water running it is leaking," Perez said.
Her bedroom closet also has holes exposing plumbing.
"I think that's something that should've been done before I even moved in," Perez added.
"Why did you reach out to us," TMJ4 Reporter Jenna Rae asked.
"Because I'm hoping to have something done," she responded.
Perez's lease identifies Mohammed Ali as her landlord, with rent payments directed to his company "NAAAM LLC" in Union City, California; however, public records show NAAAM LLC isn't a registered business in either California or Wisconsin.
Further raising red flags, her lease states "tenant acknowledges the receipt of any disclosures required by the State of California" — that's despite the property being located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Perez said she's left wondering if her lease is even valid in Wisconsin.
"I need someone to explain to me how this is able to happen, how people can buy these properties, rent them out and not be held responsible or have them up to code," Perez asked.
On July 8, the Department of Neighborhood Services filed seven 30-day orders, giving the landlord one month to restore hot water, fix the bedroom closet, and address other concerns cited by inspectors.
When asked if she believes the repairs will be completed, Perez was doubtful. "No, I absolutely do not. And so now I'm looking to get out of my lease, get my security deposit back."
TMJ4 called and emailed the landlord Wednesday. He acknowledged Perez's concerns via email, but wouldn't do an interview. In his email, he claims to have invested tens of thousands of dollars to restore the property including a full electrical system and a new boiler system.
"I just need somebody to be willing to give me a chance to just rent to me, a clean safe environment where I can come home and at peace and have hot water and be able to run my fan, my air fryer and my microwave at the same time," Perez pleaded.
If you're having a problem with a landlord, email Jenna Rae. She has filed dozens of reports on problematic landlords across our region. Her email is jenna.rae@tmj4.com.
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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