NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Early morning flooding cost some IMT Germantown residents their homes. According to several tenants, a water line broke on the third floor, causing water to spread across the lower floors.
Officials with Metro Water Services (MWS) confirmed they did not have any water main breaks in the past day, adding that this type of plumbing emergency falls on the owner.
Throughout the day, some tenants were moving their belongings out of their apartments. A few people told News 2 about how the flooding came out of nowhere during the early morning hours on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
“About 2:30, I basically wake up to the loud alarm that you hear, the one that goes off when you’re cooking or whatever. We’ve been having a lot of those kind of randomly go off with the weather changing and all that, so typically we think it’s nothing to worry about,” Sam Harris said.
This time, though, it was serious. Water started going into Harris’ apartment from a light fixture, so he said he started looking for buckets or towels but ended up putting a cooler under the water.
“Basically affected floors one through three. If you’re on [floor] two, it was really bad for you because it came through the roof and it collected on the floor. If you’re on [floor] three, it just got the floor. If you’re on [floor] one, you kind of got the rest of it,” Harris explained.
Harris and his family were already set to move out of their apartment, but this only pushed their plan forward. His two dogs were also inside during the flooding.
Other tenants told News 2 how their renters insurance will only pay for two days in a hotel. They’re worried about where they’re going to live since their apartments have water damage.
According to the Tennessee Department of Health, it’s important to notify your property manager or landlord of any damage in writing, complete with photos and/or videos. If they fail to make repairs in a reasonable amount of time, you may need to pursue legal action, so contact an attorney to discuss your options.
One lawyer posted on the legal research website Justia that you may even have the right to withhold rent or deduct the cost of the repair from your rent if your property manager neglects the repairs. You can also contact the local code enforcement agency or housing authority, who can inspect the property and potentially compel the landlord to make necessary repairs.
News 2 reached out to IMT Germantown for comment on the flooding but has yet to hear back.
