LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Alejandra Escalante is preparing to move out of the apartment she’s been living in since the spring of 2024, and she’s not doing this because she wants to.
“Little by little I just started noticing a lot of things that had mold and mildew,” Escalante said.
Before talking with her about the problem, we looked around and green mold was evident in many areas of the apartment including medicine cabinets, furniture, cookware and on clothing and shoes. Alejandra discarded many other items, where mold was present, days ago.
“I don't wish this on anybody,” she said of the situation inside her home. “This is just not okay. I want my daughter to have a safe home to live in,” she continued.
Alejandra and her daughter will be moving into her parents’ home as soon as possible until she can find them a new place. She says Winterwood, Inc. which manages the Oakdale Apartment Complex, will let her out of her lease, and offered to move her to another unit, but Alejandra declined that latter offer. She says the city’s Code Enforcement office did come to check on her apartment after she called them and registered the complaint.
“They sealed up the doors and gave me two dehumidifiers,” she said, before adding that she’s having to empty those tanks multiple times daily. A soaked salt and pepper packet and the coagulated sugar inside a sealed cannister demonstrated how moist the air inside the apartment has been.
“What Code Enforcement did is the only resource that I’ve had,” she said.
“It's making me sick. It's making my daughter sick. I work too hard, and this is not the quality I signed up for,” she stated.
Escalante, who moved in soon after the complex opened 15 months ago, said rain and a power washing job have contributed to the problem, as water seeped into the apartment under the doors.
Winterwood Inc. COO Joshua Johnson released a statement regarding the property:
"Feedback from our residents are taken very serious, as we pride ourselves in following up timely with any concerns they may have. Our onsite team has been working diligently to diagnose, communicate, provide solutions and take corrective actions necessary to address any issues. Our staff again today made contact with any residents that have reported concerns to our office to further evaluate. We remain committed to resolving this matter as quickly as possible and will continue to take all necessary steps to provide safe and well maintained housing for our residents."
