ATLANTA — Concerned residents of The Hue Midtown reached out to 11Alive saying they have been without running water for nearly three weeks.
The residents, who wanted to remain anonymous, sent us videos of dry faucets and shower heads. Google Reviews also paint the picture of what's going on indoors.
One resident said she found out when she walked into her apartment the weekend of Aug. 11.
"I came back into the apartment, I had groceries and went to turn on the water, and there was absolutely no water," she said. "We checked our emails [that moment], we had nothing."
11Alive investigated the same apartment complex back in February 2023-- when it was still known as the Icon Midtown Apartments. We saw the trash pileup following burst pipes from back in December.
Since then, the complex has changed ownership and name, but residents said the problems persist.
An email from the management team sent out on Aug. 15 states there was an issue with the building's main domestic water line, forcing them to shut off the water supply for 12 hours.
Those 12 hours, turned to weeks of what residents call a nightmare.
"Your home is supposed to be your place of peace," the resident added. "And you can't use the bathroom. You can't wash yourself. You can brush your teeth. With these assumed luxury prices, we don't even have a basic necessity of water. So it feels pretty terrible."
Property managers started offering residents a vacant apartment in Buckhead for one hour a day.
"The property is about 25 minutes away from the Midtown property," she added. "They offered one vacant apartment for the entire Midtown building and one-hour increments to use the bathroom and shower."
They also provided water gallons for residents to use. A man who lives at the apartment complex said he tried using those.
"Just to flush the toilet, it takes like two of those things. Those first couple of days we worked from home so we ran to the Whole Foods to use the restroom. It was pretty rough," he said.
The apartment complex sits on top of Whole Foods on 14th Street.
The emails sent out, advised residents to fill up tubs and buckets with water to prepare for the water shutdown. They also advised contacting their own renter's insurance.
"That makes no sense because renters insurance just covers your specific unit," the resident stated. "So there's nothing that they could do."
On Aug. 17, property managers wrote that they found a leak, and estimated water would be restored that night. It wasn't.
"My biggest concern is the integrity of the building and the electrical," another resident said. "Who knows what is going wrong? There were cracks in the parking garage ceiling, and you never want to see that."
Three days later, management stated they were unable to provide an estimate on when water would return, and offered $250 to spend on hotels and food per apartment unit, not per person.
"You have a two-bedroom or three-bedroom with multiple people, but you still only get $250 for all of the people that live in that one apartment," the resident said.
That resident, who has a roommate, is staying at a friend's apartment. But the other resident, who does not have family in Atlanta, opted for the hotel.
"My [American Express Card] probably has $3,000 worth of hotel and food charges on it, and I got to pay that off at some point soon. Cash flow is going to be an issue for a lot of us coming up soon," he said. "Week one, it was a little chaotic and crazy. Week two, it's starting to drag. Then Week three, it's like, 'I'm ready to have all my stuff back.'"
Property managers sent the following statement to 11Alive:
We sincerely understand the frustration this unfortunate event has caused our residents. The building experienced an unexpected leak that resulted in the need to shut off the water for the safety of all who call The Hue home. We have been diligently working to provide care to our residents, working with third party vendors to implement the complex repairs needed to restore the water, which are currently underway. We care deeply for our residents and have remained in constant communication with them. All are being provided a complimentary daily stipend for Atlanta lodging accommodations of their choice; the availability of a room block at a hotel in walking distance; daily rent concessions; drinking water; laundry and dry cleaning services; and access to sister properties to help everyone maintain as much comfort as possible throughout this challenging process. We continue to work around the clock to correct the problem and will be testing the system over the weekend to ensure that a long-term solution has been found.
The statement does not indicate when water might return.
"They do not respond to emails," one resident said. "I spoke earlier, asking about this issue and I was just hung up on. I honestly would like a refund or a reimbursement for the money we've been paying for rent. This is a basic necessity of habitability and you're not providing that to us."
That resident sent proof of the email exchanges where no replies were received. They hope communication improves and want their rent to be reduced in the coming months.
"I don't even want to move but at this point, they're kind of forcing our hands. If they were to give current residents an offer or renewal lease offer of like a couple of hundred bucks off a month or a couple of months free for having to put up with this, that wouldn't hurt either. But I think a lot of people are pretty sick of it," the resident added.
Shortly after 11Alive got in touch with the management company, residents we spoke with said they received an email expressing their apologies, and laying out all the options they have until water service is restored.
If you have an issue you'd like us to look into, email psuro@11alive.com.