CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An east Charlotte apartment complex is facing allegations of neglect, maintenance issues, and fraud.
Several sources at the Timber Ridge Apartments, located on Barrington Drive, claim previous managers misappropriated rent and utility money and let the property fall into disarray. The managers were allegedly fired after accounting records were destroyed.
Now, the property owner, the Atlantic Housing Foundation, is selling the apartments and tenants are unsure of what will happen next.
"It’s bad, it’s really bad," Stella McMickens said as she showed WCNC Charlotte reporter Julia Kauffman the leaks in her ceiling and mold in her vents.
"It was water damage down here, it was pouring down here, we had buckets and stuff everywhere," McMickens said while explaining the most recent leak in her kitchen.
McMickens and her two sons have lived at the Timber Ridge complex for more than 20 years.
"We don’t have the finances to uproot ourselves and move out," she said.
The community is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) public housing program. But many tenants feel neglected and stolen from. McMickens said under the previous manager, she would pay her rent in person, but they would tell her she still owed money later on.
"From time to time the rent would get missing, now they say some money orders are missing," McMickens said.
The Atlantic Housing Foundation has faced recent scrutiny for several of its public housing communities in South Carolina. Now, a source said the nonprofit is selling all 15 of its Section 8 properties.
McMickens' son Stephen said he's tried complaining to AHF in the past about Timber Ridge.
"We don’t even have a valid number for them," he said. "When we leave voicemails we don’t get called. We send emails, we don’t get called."
The McMickens said they haven’t been informed about what will happen after the sale.
An AHF spokesperson told WCNC Charlotte the property sale is expected to close on November 27. They shared the following statement:
We are committed to maintaining a clean and safe home environment for our residents, and we do not have a record of any overdue work orders at this time. However, we want to address any maintenance concerns as quickly as possible. We sent out a notice to all residents asking them to call the office or submit their work orders online, and we will have our team take care of them right away.
We can confirm that we are currently looking into concerns with funds handled by recently terminated staff. We are unable to comment further at this time since this is an active investigation with the appropriate government authority. However, rest assured that residents are not held responsible for any payments that were not appropriately applied to their accounts.
However, a tenant said they submitted a work order on Thursday for moldy carpets, and maintenance workers on site said the new owners would handle requests.
WCNC Charlotte reached out to HUD for comment and is waiting to hear back.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.