MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee renter says he's been living in near-freezing temperatures inside his apartment for weeks, prompting the city to issue a formal order requiring his landlord to fix the heating problem.
Kyle Lawless contacted TMJ4 after laying out his concerns with Ogden property management and the Department of Neighborhood Services. He says his apartment has been dangerously cold, with temperatures dropping as low as the mid-50s.
"It's so cold," Lawless said.
The temperature was the first thing I noticed when I walked into Lawless' apartment. He says it's been this way for weeks.
"They vacuumed the vents and taped the windows, and they gave me 3 space heaters. Even with all 3 running, it only gets it up to about 61 degrees," Lawless said.
Lawless says the coldest spots are the bedroom and bathroom.
"I have the cat here. I can't leave her to be cold. The bathroom in there, as I said, there's not a single ounce of heat coming out of here," Lawless said.
He says he's documented temperatures dropping as low as the mid-50s and says the city measured the apartment below the required standard during a recent inspection.
"55 is the lowest I've seen, but that's with 0-degree weather," Lawless said.
Watch: Milwaukee renter forced to sleep in jacket as apartment temperatures drop to mid-50s
The city's paperwork backs up part of Lawless' complaint. The Department of Neighborhood Services inspected the unit on January 21 and ordered a fix by January 26, but Lawless says his apartment is still below 67 degrees. With colder weather ahead, he fears it could drop further.
"They clocked my apartment at 58 degrees. I told them I'm worried about the coming weekend, when it's -15, that it will dip probably into the low 50s, maybe 40s in the apartment. They said that because my unit is getting some heat, it is not an emergency despite it being inadequate," Lawless said.
Lawless says the cold temperatures have affected his sleep and forced him to miss work.
"I've been wearing a jacket to sleep. I wear shoes to sleep," Lawless said.
He reached out to TMJ4 to push for action.
"I felt DNS was failing me. I felt that my building was failing me, so I felt like outside pressure could help," Lawless said.
Ogden property management tells me the unit is considered habitable, says space heaters have been provided, and that boiler evaluations are underway, with a follow-up city inspection scheduled for Monday. DNS has not yet responded to questions about what happens if the January 26 deadline isn't met.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist 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.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
