DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County family says they’re living in increasingly unsafe conditions at the Bolden Pines Apartments on Kelly Lake Road and want out.
The situation has worsened since Channel 2 Action News first reported in June that their unit had no air conditioning during a heat wave.
Now, Jenee Johnson says her apartment has wet carpets with fungus growing out of them, creating what she describes as an unbearable living environment.
“I’m overwhelmed,” Johnson said. “We can’t breathe, like I’m over it.”
Johnson told Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers she has been dealing with the growing fungus for two weeks. A visibly damp carpet and a constant fan are now part of her daily reality. “It smells like a garden in here,” she said.
She said her air conditioning was fixed briefly, but that repair caused even more problems.
“It got fixed for seven days,” Johnson said. She said the fix caused the furnace to break.
“It completely flooded downstairs, causing mold, damage to furniture,” she said.
Visible water damage was left on furniture, and a school bookbag now hangs from a high hook instead of being packed for school. “It’s back to school Monday. How do I send my kids back to school like this?” Johnson said.
In addition to the water damage and fungus, Johnson says her stove no longer works, and roaches roam the apartment.
“Because of the bugs, everything is infested now. The mold. I have to start over completely,” she said. “There’s no one to reach out to. There’s no management. There’s no maintenance. There’s no one in the leasing office. There’s no number to call. There’s no email. There’s no responses.”
Johnson filed a code enforcement complaint and was told she would be moved to another unit— which would be her third move in 10 months in the complex—but says she has yet to hear back. “I work hard for everything I’ve earned, and I feel like I’ve been ripped off,” she said. “My patience has been tested, and now it’s time to go.”
The family has started a fundraiser to help with their relocation.
The previous property owner, Bolden Capital Group, told Channel 2 they sold the complex in June to Glass Ratner.
Rogers reached out to Glass Ratner multiple times but has not received a response.
Back in June, DeKalb County Code Compliance told Rogers there had been violations at Bolden Pines since 2016.
The county also says they have no official record of the sale of the property.
Bolden Capital still has a court date scheduled for August 12 related to the property, and county officials said any new owners could also be cited if conditions aren’t addressed.
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