Residents threatened with eviction over social media posts about conditions at The Jefferson Apartments

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Thomas Winston, a resident The Jefferson Apartments for almost a year, showed ABC57 the conditions inside his unit Wednesday afternoon.

Winston says his AC hasn't worked for two months, forcing him to buy an external unit. The thermostat inside his apartment at the time of Wednesday's interview was between 81-82 degrees. Winston provided photo evidence of his thermostat between 88-92 degrees during a recent heatwave.

He also let ABC57 inside a communal laundry room, which had multiple holes in the ceiling, a moldy sink and laundry boxes filled with trash that Winston claims have been there since he moved in.

Other residents, who asked to remain anonymous, shared photos of sewage backing up into their apartment sinks, damage left behind from incomplete repairs, and wall heaters in place of a standard heating unit.

Winston, along with his neighbors, say the leasing office has been vacant for months, and they rarely have anyone respond to their maintenance requests. Winston confirms he hasn't been able to use his shower since he moved in close to a year ago.

When a resident posted about their frustrations on social media, they received a response within hours from The Jefferson Apartments, calling the posts "bad faith" allegations, and a violation of their lease. The notice also included the threat of eviction.

Winston says he and other residents took their concerns, and the lease violation notice to Portage Township Trustee, Jason Critchlow, who believes the threat of eviction could be a violation of Indiana code.

"It's specifically called out in Indiana code that you can't take retaliatory action against a tenant for making complaints. These were very reasonable complaints. These were folks who were...multiple tenants whose sinks were backing up with sewage, backing up so badly it was about to spill over onto the carpet." said Critchlow.

Residents told our team they received emails and texts Monday informing them that Daniel Management Group (DMG), the company that sent out the lease violation notices, were no longer in charge. The same messages confirmed that H&A Properties out of South Bend would be stepping in.

An H&A representative, who asked to remain anonymous, told ABC57 over the phone that they had dissolved their relationship with DMG Properties and confirmed they would be taking over property operations.

The H&A Leasing Office was closed, with a notice that they would re-open to residents on July 13. The notice also promised vast improvements across the property, including an emphasis on faster and more responsive maintenance.

Winston tells me residents affected by long-term issues have banded together on Facebook and are considering a class-action lawsuit. He says they're in contact with a lawyer about the situation.

Critchlow confirmed he asked township legal counsel to reach out to the property owners but has yet to hear back.