Miami residents are struggling to get their lives back to normal after sanitary living conditions in their apartments have diminished to the point where they are ?living like dogs?, as one resident has said.

Christina Vasquez of Local News 10 interviewed one resident- Gaynesha Williams- who said the problem started with a water leak above her teenage son?s bedroom. The leak turned into a large bubble over his head, and while he was asleep one night, the entire ceiling fell on top of him- causing him to dislocate his neck. It is just one of several problems plaguing nine buildings owned by a property manager named Denise Vaknin.

Occupants like Williams have a daily battle with mold, live roaches, electrical issues and spotty repairs in their apartments, which have already been cited in dozens of pages of state and city inspection reports over several years. These reports outline serious health, life and safety violations in nine buildings. The immense list of violations cited by inspectors includes ceiling cave ins, exposed rebar, broken windows, plumbing problems, live vermin, moldy walls, non-functioning air conditioners and ventilation, damaged electrical wires, blocked exit doors, water leaks, and missing safety precautions such as balcony railings, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. In one unit, a PVC pipe was observed being used a spigot in a bath tub, along with live rodents and roaches roaming the kitchen with moldy substances on the walls. The settlement option by DBPR for these citations was a reduced fine of just $200, while residents at these apartments are paying $500 to $650 per month in rent. The property owners never responded to the suit and the city of Miami is now seeking a final judgement against them.

Gaynesha Williams went into more detail about her frustration and exclaimed that residents are ?living like they are not human beings, like they are dogs?. PULSE (People United to Lead the Struggle for Equality) executive director Nathanial Wilcox says, ?People are breathing in mold and mildew. They won?t die like a gunshot, because of the infection, because of what happens to their bodies. It is not a quick shot like a gunshot. It is a slow death.? News report Christina Vasquez traveled to New Jersey, where the multi-million dollar mansion of this property owner is located and asked one of them if they would live in their own apartments in Miami. They replied that they would not.

Don?t wait until your living situation gets so unhealthy and unsafe that you are living like a dog!

Call us as soon as you think there may be a health issue in your home and we will come out to your property right away. MVP Environmental has extensive experience dealing with property management companies throughout south Florida. We can coordinate indoor air quality and property restoration services on both a small scale- per unit- or on a large scale, per floor and building. We work with the fastest turnaround times possible so that both the property manager and residents will be happy and healthy.

Photos?of the units were posted by?Local 10 News reporter Christina Vasquez

Sources:

Vasquez, Christina. ?Miami Residents Living ?like We Are Dogs? Say Landlord Doing Nothing to Help.? Local10. WPLG ? Miami, 18 Mar. 2015. Web. 21 May 2015. <http://www.local10.com/news/miami-residents-living-like-we-are-dogs-say-landlord-doing-nothing-to-help/33084700>.