WAUWATOSA -- A Wauwatosa tenant contacted TODAY’S TMJ4 after not having heat in his apartment for the entire month of October.
“I take the space heater in the bedroom with me, or I have two blankets, or I sleep in a jumpsuit or something or a hoodie to make sure I’m warm,” said LaVon Turner.
Turner said his apartment unit, above Swan Pharmacy on North Avenue, also has a hole in the roof, a malfunctioning light switch and a running bathtub faucet.
“I come home from work from a hard day and got to come in and see this hole right here,” said Turner.
Turner said his landlord, Kyung Jae Lee, isn’t fixing the problems.
We contacted Lee. He declined an on-camera interview but told us repair crews are working to restore the heat. He said he’s run into issues with repairs and now mechanics need a new part.
“They fix it and then there’s some problem again and they fix it and there’s a problem again,” Lee told us over the phone.
Lee also said he has repaired the roof and is working on finding a contractor to fix the damage done to the inside of Turner’s unit.
But he also points the finger at Turner for not paying his rent on time.
“The way it was set up, I would pay him half of the money and give him the other half, and half the time I gave him a post-dated check,” Turner said.
Both Turner and Lee are looking at possibly taking legal action against each other if they can’t reach a resolution.
Public records show a case from nine years ago where a woman living in the same building as Turner won a judgment against Lee. The court awarded her about $1,000.
Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has a “Landlord Tenant Complaint Form” available on its website.
A spokesperson for the agency told TODAY’S TMJ4 if you file, you can expect a response within a week or so.
To view the complaint, click here.
