Landlord Is In Debt To Village Of Riverdale, And Tenants Say They're Being Threatened With Water Shutoff
UPDATED 10/26/21 7:05 p.m.
RIVERDALE, Ill. (CBS) -- A building owner in south suburban Riverdale owes the village thousands of dollars, and now, the village may be going after the building's tenants – with what had been plans to shut off their water Wednesday because of their landlord's mistake.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported, families were still looking for answers Monday. They called us when they couldn't get any from village officials, and those officials didn't want to answer our questions either.
"You need water to survive! Period!" said Roslyn White.
The red sign on the front door of White's Riverdale apartment building has her and everyone else in it fired up. The sign announces a notice of termination of water services - because their landlord owes the Village $9,337.10.
"The village is telling us the tenants have to pay the remainder," White said.
Inside her family's apartment - where that notice says the water will stop running Wednesday - White told us frustrated and angry don't begin to describe how she's feeling.
"I can't bathe. I can't go to work. Can't do anything," White said. "Where are we supposed to go? I have two toddlers. I can't just pick up and move."
She's not the only one.
"If they shut this water off? They're not going to like me, OK?" said Sherry Pierce, "because I don't have to live this way. Nobody does."
"You can't do anything without water!" said Chandra White.
People who live in the building said someone with the village posted the notice just before the weekend, Thus, Monday was the first chance they've had to ask about it - and they're not getting any answers.
"I have been calling the Village of Riverdale. I have called fire department," said Chandra White. "I have been calling literally everybody."
So we tried too - reaching the village and working to hunt down the landlord. Residents say the building has changed hands quite a bit, and neither of the property managers posted are current.
The tenants pay rent to Woodreal Estates, and they said the firm is not getting back to them.
There was response for us either.
"What are you doing with the money we pay you rent with?" said Roslyn White.
And with no returned calls from the village, we went to visit the clerk. Molina was told the clerk was in her office, but wouldn't see us. Molina was instead advised to look for a response to her emails.
"Somebody needs to come and do something!" said Roslyn White.
Molina has been waiting on that email from the Village clerk, Karen Holcomb. Late Monday, Molina did receive a call from village officials, who now say despite that sign posted on the apartment building for days, they now have no plans to shut off the water on Wednesday.
Late Tuesday, Riverdale Mayor Lawrence L. Jackson released the following statement: "The Village does not intend to shut off the water to these tenants. However, the Village does intend to continue pursuing the Aventus Group and other absentee landlords of this kind to the fullest extent possible."
