Residents say they don’t have heat at apartments Channel 9 has investigated

CHARLOTTE — Apartment residents say they’re spending this winter in the cold after their apartment complex hasn’t fixed the heat.

Two women in the same unit at the Scarlet Pointe Apartments say they have no heat.

It’s an apartment complex Channel 9 has covered several times before. Residents at the northwest Charlotte apartment complex have told us the apartments are dangerous to live in.

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Dayana Douglas said Wednesday she moved into Scarlet Pointe in the spring of last year, and for the second winter in a row, she has no heat.

“I even have emails I saved from back in December,” she told Channel 9′s Evan Donovan. “They asked me would I consider moving to another unit and I said yes, because back then, I didn’t have any heat. And every time it rained, I was going through leakage issues in my living room. Not only in there, it leaked in my kitchen.”

Douglas said the ceiling had to be fixed several times. But the complex never fixed the heat; instead, they gave her a temporary solution: a heater.

“The rent office gave me this last winter,” she said. “And just two weeks ago, they gave me that heater, because I went up there and I’m like, ‘This is not working.’”

Cora King moved into the apartment below Douglas four months ago.

“They actually gave me a heater that actually burned out the socket,” she told Donovan.

She said her lights flicker and she has no heat either.

“This has been the worst experience ever,” King said. “I have to get up in the morning time and turn my oven on an hour early just to get myself ready for work, just to heat up my apartment.”

“Your oven?” Donovan asked.

“Yes, I use my oven,” she said.

“And you leave the door open?” he asked.

“Yes,” King said. “And I know that’s dangerous and that’s something I’m not supposed to do, but it’s just so cold in the mornings.”

Channel 9 has documented many issues at Scarlet Pointe, including exposed walls and wiring, flooding, and bugs.

Around this time last year, Mecklenburg County was investigating at least 18 code enforcement violations at the complex. We’ve asked county officials how many are still outstanding.

Douglas showed Donovan a letter that appears to serve notice of another violation for her lack of heat.

“I’m tired. It’s hard, it’s frustrating, it’s overwhelming. I don’t know what to do,” she said. “I’m just asking for help because I don’t feel like I deserve this, not two years living off a heater -- that’s unfair.”

With Christmas just five days away, Douglas and King are not feeling the warmth this holiday season.

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