‘It’s been a joke’: Non-stop leaks, maintenance concerns frustrate Richmond resident for months

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Since moving into the River Lofts at Tobacco Row, one tenant said she has experienced non-stop leaks and maintenance concerns.

Allison Riesco said she moved into the apartment in June. Not long after moving in, Riesco said she noticed every time it rains, the water would creep into her apartment unit.

"As a tenant here, you have to keep an extra eye on the weather forecast because you got to have the towels and buckets ready," said Riesco.

Just like the water, Riesco said the problems continued to stream in, starting with broken appliances. Most recently, she noticed leaks in her ceiling due to a pipe burst.

(Photo: Allison Riesco)

(Photo: Allison Riesco)

(Photo: Allison Riesco)

Riesco said management sent crews to make repairs, but the problem was never fully fixed, leaving her no choice but to continue to ask questions.

"You'll find that a lot of your emails to the office will go unresponded to for weeks at a time," said Riesco. “For every third or fourth email or complaint, you may get a response. But statistically, you're not really getting responded to or acknowledged.”

8News reached out to the complex about Riesco's concerns. A spokesperson from the property management sent the following statement:

"Our goal is to assure that every resident experience is high quality and our management team works to address any issues in a collaborative and timely manner.  As it relates to this resident, both individual appliance and water issues were typically addressed within 24 hours, unless it took longer to make repairs or have parts delivered.  We have provided the resident with dehumidification, drywall repairs, carpet cleaning, and a full apartment cleaning upon completion of the work.  In addition, we offered the opportunity to move to a different unit. We are confident that we took appropriate and responsible steps to manage this issue."

Since reaching out to 8News, Riesco said she has seen crews come back to make repairs. While she waits, she said she has filed a tenant's assertion to pay her rent to the court.

“It just doesn't feel right paying for something that's unsafe to live in," said Riesco.

What to do if you are waiting for repairs

1. Notify your landlord in writing
2. Give your landlord a reasonable amount of time to make repairs (14-30 days)
3. File a tenant’s assertion.

A tenant’s assertion allows renters to pay their rent to the court until a judge steps in.