Maple Shade apartment complex where 2 children died has history of reported violations
MAPLE SHADE, N.J. (CBS) -- The Maple Shade apartment complex where two children died in a massive fire last month was cited for hundreds of violations, according to state inspection records.
CBS News Philadelphia examined inspection records for Fox Meadows Apartments, where 12-year-old AJ and 7-year-old Hope Marles died last month after getting trapped in the bathroom of their unit.
"I didn't want my kids or her kids or anybody else's kids ending up like that," said Kimberly Loughlin, a tenant who lives in the building not far from where the fire was in May. She fought back tears.
Loughlin said she and others knocked on doors trying to get everyone out. Four other people were injured including the mother of the children who died. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
State inspection records from 2021 for Fox Meadow Apartments show more than 1,400 violations. When it reinspected in 2022, the NJ Bureau of Housing Inspection said it found at least 75 violations remained including this violation over and over:
Provide approved 10-year sealed battery-powered single station smoke alarms or A.C. powered smoke alarms in dwelling units.
The reinspection report noted that the status of these violations was "undetermined."
The State Department of Community Affairs, which oversees the Bureau, ordered the owner of Fox Meadow Apartments to pay an $11,500 penalty for not fixing all the violations. The fire in May delayed the state's second reinspection but a spokesperson with the Department of Community Affairs said inspectors were out there this week completing that second reinspection.
To be clear, CBS News Philadelphia doesn't know if any of these reported violations had anything to do with the fire in May. We reached out many times to the property manager to ask why there were so many alleged violations over the last two years and what had been done about them. We were sent to the complex's owner, the Kamson Corporation and their lawyer said, "We have no comment at this time."
How can a tenant protect themselves?
In today's housing landscape, up and moving is not an easy option, whether you're looking to buy or rent.
Amanda Salas lives at Fox Meadow Apartments in Maple Shade, New Jersey. Since the fire, she's been worried about her own safety.
"Recently, I contacted maintenance about electrical issues I'm having, and it's been about almost a month and they still have not come to fix it," said Salas. CBS News Philadelphia reached out to the complex to see if they had addressed Salas' repair concerns. No one returned our call.
Salas said she has asthma and ideally, she'd like to live somewhere without so much carpeting but due to low inventory and high prices, it's not an option to move. Salas didn't know about the reported violations noted by state inspectors at Fox Meadow Apartments but she said she wasn't surprised.
Maria Born, an attorney with South Jersey Legal Services says in many instances tenants are not aware that state authorities have found that the complex they're living at has violations.
"Most people are going to trust the landlord and assume if they're still operating as a landlord, they must be operating a safe building. That's maybe what I would call a glitch in the system. Maybe there should be some reporting requirement," said Born, who offered these tips for tenants who might be dealing with repair issues at rented properties:
- Notify your landlord in writing
- Give them a reasonable time to fix the issue
- Take pictures and keep receipts if you had to make the repair yourself
If your concerns still go ignored, Born said you can withhold your rent but be prepared to go to court.
"Once you withhold the rent, you need to make sure you have the rent money, so put that in an account or someplace safe and do not spend it under any circumstances because if your landlord files for eviction because you didn't pay the rent, you're going to need to deposit that money in the court in order to get a hearing," she said.
Born said if you can avoid dealing with the legal system, you're better off because in New Jersey's current rental housing crisis, the last thing you want is an eviction on your record.
Tenant protections can differ from state to state and city to city. In Philadelphia, tenants can contact the Department of Licenses and Inspections if they're having repair issues. An attorney with Community Legal Services of Philadelphia recommends taking pictures and documenting evidence. A city inspector will likely come out to survey whether a landlord is in violation and then send the landlord a letter.
Philadelphia also has the Fair Housing Ordinance which says property owners can't retaliate against a renter by filing an eviction.