Black mold, worms and flies: Dallas tenant shares nightmare living conditions
DALLAS — In Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood, one man said he's been living in hazardous conditions for more than two months. The situation at his apartment progressively getting worse.
"The worst experience of my rental life," Rene Hernandez said. "Yes, it's been really, really bad."
Hernandez said more than two months ago, he sent a maintenance request to staff at 4123 Cedar Springs, documenting a water leak.
"Two or three days afterward, the maintenance man said he fixed it," he said. "He brought me a fan."
However, Hernandez said the problem continued.
"The receptionist lady closed the work order and I said, 'Oh no, no ma'am you need to redo it because that is not fixed,'" he said. "Maybe two weeks after that, nobody had come to my apartment."
He said he sent an email on April 22 which states the problem is getting worse.
Since then, he said he's discovered black mold and an infestation of worms and flies. He showed CBS News Texas pictures because of concerns over taking us inside.
He wonders if this is affecting his health and showed CBS News Texas a rash that developed on his body.
"I cannot say it's from this, but it's never happened to me before," he said.
Last week, Hernandez decided to try and sleep at the complex's gym but said officers arrived to escort him out.
"They insisted on coming to my apartment because they did not believe me in my situation," he said. "I open the door and they gasped at the smell. I got a lease violation on my door Friday night, and it basically said that the property had been damaged by my negligence because I did not report the leak."
CBS News Texas reached out to staff at 4123 Cedar Springs and was told to contact the property owner, Foresight Asset Management, which we did. We are still waiting for a response.
According to Texas Law Help, managed by the Texas Legal Services Center, Texas landlords must remove conditions that affect the physical health or safety of a tenant as long as:
- The condition was not caused by the tenant, the tenant's family, or the tenant's guest
- The landlord had proper written notice of the condition
- The tenant is not delinquent in rent at the time of giving the landlord notice of repair or remedy
Fed up, Hernandez said he's contacted 311 and is looking into taking legal action. He hopes this serves as a warning to others.