Tenant wants management to pay for property damage

 

Mark Thompson moved into Timberbrook apartments in Bristol, Indiana in February of 2022.

Within a month and a half, he says he was exposed to hazardous conditions.

"It was the pipe that for the raw sewage leave the house to go into the sewage system was disconnected completely," Mark said. 

So, you were here for a month and a half, and the pipe wasn't even connected to the sewers?" I asked.

Mark answered "No, it wasn't."

To Mark's horror, he discovered that his own feces and urine were piling up underneath his home.

That was just the beginning of his troubles.

He reached out to the property managers to request the necessary repairs to his rental property.

"They connected the pipe which was about that Friday, that Easter weekend. And within a day, that's when it causes the backup," Mark said.

After the repairs were made, Mark said his entire residence flooded with raw sewage.

His two toilets, both bath tubes, and his Kitchen sink.

They all pumped up fecal matter.

Mark woke up on Easter morning with this.

"Everything that basically touched the water was ruined," according to Mark.

With most of his property ruined, he contacted his rental insurance company.

The insurance agent told him Timberbrook was responsible and had to replace his items.

Timberbrook's manager Katie told him:

"They said that they weren't liable for it.  Her exact words were for me to get bent."

Timberbrook's property management told Mark they wouldn't pay for the cleanup.

Mark is a contractor by trade and tells me that the HVAC vents needed to be cleaned.

The sheetrock and insulation in the trailer also needed to be replaced, and mold is now a concern.

You can clearly see in the video we shot while conducting this interview, remnants of the flood months later.

"Now I had to sit there and breathe the air that's been blown out of the vents, I got fecal matter," mentioned Mark.

Mark has a seven-year-old daughter.

Due to the conditions and concerns for his daughter's health, he sent her to live with her mother in Kentucky.

To make matters worse, the water from Marks faucet is undrinkable.

We saw signs on the Timberbrook property telling residents to boil the water.

Upon further investigation, reviews of the property describe a lack of management with mostly one-star reviews.

Shortly after Mark started contacting property management for the repairs to his trailer, he began receiving property violations.

Issues like where he put his garbage and the length of his grass.

Mark believes Timberbrook's management is retaliating against him.

We attempted to talk to the manager while on property.

"Hello, hi, Kevin Warmhold ABC57 News, I'm looking for Katie."

The employee relayed the message to Katie, who referred us to their lawyer.

Timberbrook's attorney has not responded for comment.

Meanwhile Mark is looking for a lawyer who handles landlord tenant disputes.

Mark hopes to bring awareness to others living on the property.