LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – The Louisville Metro Housing Authority is taking over management of Liberty Green Apartments after tenants say a lack of maintenance from the previous third-party management company caused the complex to fall into disrepair.

In September, LMHA announced that it would take over the role previously held by Ludwig Property Management Company, effective November 1.

Mold, bugs and overflowing garbage were just some of the problems residents said they were dealing with under the old management, prompting tenants to form a housing council.

“There was mold, there was garbage everywhere. There were cracks in the ceiling. You had termites. “There were people with a lot of bugs and rodents and things like that,” Liberty Green Housing Council President Stacee Spurling said.

On Thursday, LMHA held a resident engagement kickoff event where tenants could meet with the new property manager, maintenance supervisor, and LMHA’s management team to ask questions and share concerns.

Paula Davis says her mother has lived in the complex for the past 13 years. He said they were forced to deal with maintenance issues on their own after work orders went unanswered by maintenance staff.

“His apartment flooded last weekend,” Davis said. “We’re dealing with this right now and they said it was due to the main backup drain, it’s because they didn’t do any due diligence and just did basic maintenance.”

Another issue tenants say is a concern is the lack of security. Although you need a code to enter the buildings, tenants say that doesn’t stop strays from camping in the hallways.

“You didn’t have hallway lights. You have kids coming down the stairs. “You didn’t know if people were coming through the doors,” Spurling said. “People get codes, get in, sleep in the hallway.”

Davis said his mother was elderly and lived on the ground floor, so security was always a concern.

“People come and go, displaced over time, but everyone has codes to get in, so there are stray, homeless people. It’s really dangerous,” Davis said.

LMHA Executive Director Elizabeth Strojan told residents that LMHA will continue to work closely with the housing council to make repairs to the property.

Spurling said he has already seen an improvement in communication with residents.

“I see the steps, they hear us,” Spurling said. “The first is communication. “As the neighborhood council, they really listen to us as the voice of these residents.”

“I think and pray and hope that once the housing authority takes it back, there will be some significant improvements, better communication between management and the residents,” Davis said.

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