Tenants go days without water after apartment complex owners don’t pay bill
Residents at a Northwest Oklahoma City apartment complex say they went without water for multiple days because the complex's owners did not pay the water bill.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Residents at a Northwest Oklahoma City apartment complex say they went without water for multiple days because the complex's owners did not pay the water bill.
Water only came back on at “The Alora" apartments after News 4 began asking management questions on Friday.
For two days, Yonni Booth made do with all the bottled water that 30 spare dollars could buy.
“I’m going out my way buying water,” Booth said. “I’m pouring water in the back of my toilet [in order] to try to flush it.”
Booth has lived at The Alora apartments on NW 63rd Street for three years.
But now—
“I'm just not happy,” she said. “I'm not happy at all. And I'm ready to move. I'm going to move.”
She first noticed her apartment’s water was cut off when she tried to use a sink on Wednesday morning.
She assumed maintenance staff must’ve been working on the system, because—after all—water is included in her rent, which she paid in full on the first of the month.
“I was like, Oh, well, maybe it'll be back later,” Booth said.
So she was a little annoyed when the water still wasn’t on when she got home from work that afternoon.
“I figured… okay, but it's not going to still be out tomorrow,” she said.
But when she woke up Thursday, her water was still off.
At that point, she knew she needed to get in touch with The Alora’s management.
“I tried to call, I couldn’t get through,” Booth said.
She went to the main office, where she was greeted by a locked door with a sign on it.
“It said they won’t be back until Monday,” she said.
She didn’t want to go the weekend without an answer, so she called OKC Utilities.
“And they said, due to non-payment from management, that they had to disconnect our water,” Booth said.
News 4 reached out to OKC Utilities on Friday. A spokesperson confirmed water service at The Alora had been shut off because the complex’s water bill had not been paid.
“And I'm like, wait a second, I pay my bills,” Booth said. “That left me really livid because it has made it a very inconvenience for me to not have water… I'm still stunned by the whole ordeal.”
She’s also stunned that her water finally began flowing again just about two hours after News 4 emailed Asset Management—the company that owns The Alora—with questions on Friday.
News 4 watched as OKC Utilities crews reconnected water service Friday afternoon.
“They actually got the water back on right when I got off of work,” Booth said. “I want to be compensated for the money I spent buying jugs of water to flush my toilet, to wipe around my house and everything. Yes, I want to be compensated for that.”
News 4 visited The Alora’s office but, like Booth, found it was locked, with a note on the door indicating no one would there until Monday.
Asset Management never responded to News 4’s email.