AUSTIN, Texas — The Falls on Bull Creek apartment complex, off of North Capital of Texas Highway, is home to residents who are chock full of complaints.
We looked over months of city code violations, ranging from having no water to issues with the actual structure of the buildings. According to the Austin Code Department, in their initial inspection, they found 42 violations in 30 buildings. Some violations include sheetrock off the ceilings falling, exposed wiring, and posts under the building having no lateral support.
Maintenance issues have caused a headache for resident Kara Kenny, who moved here with her partner 1.5 years ago.
“We really thought that this would be a great, great environment just to be active in,” said Kenny.
But now she lives in instability, not knowing what could go wrong in the complex next.
“This was about two weeks ago, a text that came from management, 'move your vehicles because the pavement is caving in,'” she said.
Her partner Joseph Woodworth said that’s not all.
“Mold issues, structural issues, we can’t even get our closet door fixed because the frame is not square,” said Woodworth.
They couldn't even count on water. According to City code inspections, residents went weeks without working water.
“The water main, when it broke in December, they charged the residents all of that, even though it was an issue with the city,” said Kenny.
Tarrent Miller has lived here for the better part of a year and said he finds it unnerving that the structures that the buildings are on top of are cracked. The Austin Code Department raised concerns about structure issues in many buildings.
“All the structures and supports are kind of uncared for, you could say,” said Miller.
The executive vice president of GVA Property Management, Laura Smith said they have a structural engineer addressing these issues. She said that since they took over in September of last year, they’ve spent over $800,000 in repairs.
PHOTOS: Code violations at the Falls at Bull Creek
They said when water went out in January, they provided water and food and added that residents were not charged more for water
Smith said residents were not given a text that the pavement was caving in, and that they had residents move their cars to make asphalt repairs.
No matter where the problems started, residents just want them fixed.
“The emotional toll is something that I’ll ever really completely recover from,” said Kenny.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: