Tenants return to Milwaukee apartment after heat, water pipes fixed

MILWAUKEE - No heat. No running water. And pipes bursting.

That's what tenants at a Milwaukee apartment complex were faced with before they were evacuated back in January.

Now, many of them are back home.

Back home

What we know:

Delmarie Alvarado is back in her home.

"It feels good to be back,"said Alvardo, while unpacking what she says felt like the longest 14 days of her life....

"It's such a relief. We're taking it day by day to settle back in," Alvardo added.

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Alvarado is among the tenants at this apartment complex near 29th and Wisconsin in Milwaukee, which was evacuated back in late January.

The Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services says they found safety issues that included no heat, no water, and burst pipes.

"It was so cold I constantly had to cook things in order to keep the house warm," said Alvardo.

Two weeks later, that looks different.

One of the things FOX6 noticed when crews walked in was how warm it felt compared to what she says felt like a freezer.

She also showed FOX6 she has running water again.

There were days we were left without water. It's been a process, but it's nice that since we've been back we haven't had that problem," she said.

Lingering issues

What we know:

While her family has had a smooth transition back, other tenants say they are having some issues with no working electricity and a bad smell.

So FOX6 reached out to Berrada Properties. While FOX6 was unable to hear back in time for deadline, FOX6 also reached out to DNS, and they said the Milwaukee Health Department and DNS were building earlier today and addressed the electrical problem.

As far as the air quality, DNS says there were no issues of carbon monoxide.

"Thank god, it feels like we have overcome the scare we had," she said.

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What they're saying:

For now, Alderwoman Shalen Moore leaves this message:

"We want to convey to landlords is that they have to be responsive. We do not want the city to be the inbetween because it really wastes a lot of city resources and a lot of this happens when landlords don't respond."

While Berrada Properties didn't get back to FOX6 by the deadline, tenants say that their rent for this month has been waived for the inconvenience.

For now, DNS says if tenants are having any issues with electricity not working, they should call 414-286-city to report it.

HousingNewsMilwaukee