Residents forced out of Massachusetts condo complex after days without heat or hot water
Some residents at an Andover, Massachusetts condo complex are evacuating after they say a power outage damaged the building's heating system. National Grid says a tree fell, impacting wires. The lights are back on, but the building's management company says that it could take weeks to fix the issue.
"They didn't give us any diagnosis. They are saying the motherboard is fried," said Neeraj Tomar, a homeowner at the complex. "I pay $1,100 condo fees, and the service we are getting, no emergency service, this is crazy."
Residents got little notice
Residents say they got a notice Tuesday night that they have to evacuate the next day. They are without heat or hot water.
"We booked a hotel, and we are going to try to manage and do our best. I already spoke to my son's school," said Larissa Lima, a resident at the complex. "What we are going to do is pay out of our pocket, and some people don't have a plan B. You don't plan to be taken out of your home like that."
"There's people upstairs above my tenant with a four-day old baby," said Lynne Rudnick, a condo owner who rents her property out. "Right now [my tenant] is just in shock. She found out last night at 7 p.m. and is going to live with her mother and share a room with 13-year-old sister in a bed."
Rudnick managed properties in the area for 20 years and already has sought legal counsel.
"I put in temporary boilers. I got services restored when people lost their heat in the Columbia Gas. They didn't lock people out of their units when the Columbia Gas happened," said Rudnick.
On Sunday, all of the residents lost heat and hot water, and now people in all but four buildings on the property have got some of their utilities back.
"I didn't have heat until 10 minutes ago, but I don't have hot water, so that tells me the pipes are still going to break in this unit as well as that," said resident Kenneth Barrett.
Barrett fears he could suffer the same fate as his neighbor.
"I'm trying to raise my granddaughter here," said Bennett. "I can stay, and they have to leave? It's totally unfair and makes no sense."
The management company trucks were at the property on Wednesday. WBZ reached out to the company for comment but have yet to hear back.