San Antonio Code Enforcement helped get hot water restored at The Maya within 10 days after a tenant’s complaint.
SAN ANTONIO — When Casey Trevino’s hot water stopped working at The Maya, she put in work orders right away. Apartment management did respond to the concerns, but six days later there was still no timeline for the issue to be fixed.
Trevino called KENS 5, but she also called San Antonio Code Enforcement at 311 and made a complaint. Code Enforcement gave the apartment complex 10 days to get the issue fixed. Apartment management did make the repair within that time frame.
The city can also help you in the same situation. San Antonio Deputy Director of Development Services Amin Tohmaz told KENS 5 the city’s code enforcement officers must follow a specific procedure, but they do help get issues fixed.
A tenant can create a case for a hot water issue, or other apartment issue, by calling 3-1-1. Code Enforcement will then work to send an officer to the apartment complex within three business days to verify the property has violated the city code.
“We check the temperature of the (hot) water. If it’s not 110 degrees, then that is a violation of the code,” Tohmaz said.
The deputy director told KENS 5 the tenant is not required to be on property when code enforcement shows up, but they do greatly prefer the tenant be present at the time to show the exact issue they are dealing with.
If the Code Enforcement officer finds a violation, they give the apartment complex 10 days to fix it. If the apartment’s management does not fix it, Code Enforcement will issue a citation that can lead to a fine in court. The apartment complex can ask for an extension but the city won’t always grant it.
When the city takes a property to court, and wins the case, the fines start at around $300 and can go up to $1000 for repeated offenses.
Tohmaz said most apartment managers fix issue before ending up in court.
“We prefer them to spend money fixing the issue,” Tohmaz said. “The majority of the time it works.”
The city also has another incentive for apartment complexes to get issues fixed. Any apartment property that gets three citations (for mechanical, plumbing or structure issues) in a rolling six-month period will then get placed in San Antonio’s Proactive Apartment Inspections Program.
The program subjects the apartment complex to random monthly inspections and puts the property on a dashboard list visible to the public.
They will stay on that list until they go six months without getting three additional citations.
Trevino said the hot water was finally restored at her apartment complex after 16 days and she believes the city helped make that happen.
“I don’t think we would have hot water if we hadn’t have called them,” Trevino said the day after the issue was fixed.
KENS 5 also reached out to The Maya to ask why the repair took so long and get their side of the story.
An attorney representing Agape Maya, Inc. told KENS 5 the apartment complex needed a part called a “blower assembly” and said the part was unavailable in Texas and on backorder nationally.
The attorney sent KENS 5 a statement which said, “Agape Maya, Inc. is committed to its residents and worked closely with the City to address the hot water concerns. The delay in repairs was due to the unavailability of parts. Agape Maya, Inc. accommodated the tenants during this time and constantly communicated with them regarding the matter. Agape Maya, Inc. regrets any inconvenience caused to the tenant but addressed the issue in a timely manner.”
Trevino said she’s just glad the hot water is working once again.
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