NEW IBERIA, La. (KLFY) -- A resident of Iberia South Apartments is asking for help for her and her family after she was evicted for nonpayment of rent. She believes voicing concerns with other tenants on the news about black mold and maintenance issues was the reason the complex evicted her.
Jamie Lee and her family, which includes her two children, ages 16 and 17, and her 15-year-old nephew, have until Nov. 30 to move out.
Lee, who has lived at the apartment complex since December 2023, was one of several Iberia South Apartment tenants who spoke with KLFY on Nov. 8 about their concerns.
During that interview, Lee said she experienced issues at the apartment complex soon after she moved in. She said she stopped paying her rent after May because that’s when she started having major issues, such as a kitchen full of mold and sewage backing up into the bathtub.
Days later, Lee was served with an eviction notice.
“On the 13th, I got served with eviction," Lee said in a recent interview with KLFY. "So I go to court and I explain to the judge, the judge doesn't want to hear anything I have to say. He said, I should have paid my rent and I should have hired a plumber and got a refund on it."
“I had letters from other people who witnessed everything. I mean, I was cleaning up water. We had one bathroom working and sewage was backing up into the bathroom. I had to wash clothes across from me at my neighbors because I couldn't use my own washer and dryer and this has been going on since May," she continued.
"I've been trying to get them to fix things. They don't fix it. The bottom of my cabinets are full of mold and bust up. You could see the ground, the cement. It looks like mold all under there.”
Lee said she doesn't know what she is going to do from here.
“I'm stuck because I lost my job and now I'm stuck in this. I don't know what to do and it's crazy because it's really not my fault. I paid my rent until this happened. I mean, who's going to pay my rent on sewage backing up in a bathtub? Under your sink, it's full of mold and you have to use buckets and dump buckets of water to use your sink. It's crazy,” Lee said.
Lee said she and her family have been trying to figure out how they are going to eat and where they are going to live.
“We might not even have a house for the holidays. It's crazy and they only give in to the 30th. They didn't hold up to their end when they weren't fixing what was wrong with my apartment. So I did pay my rent faithfully but when I started living in this kind of condition and nobody was doing nothing I withheld my rent and it went for six months till I was on the news," she said.
"Once I was on the news, that's when they started me with an eviction all of a sudden and I think it was all set because they saw me on the news," she continued.
Lee said if anybody could help, she and her family would be grateful.
“If anybody can help me, I would really appreciate it and my kids would even appreciate it. I don't even know how I'm getting my kids Christmas with this going on. Thanksgiving is not even going to be Thanksgiving," she said.
A spokesperson for Iberia South management sent the following statement:
“Iberia South works closely with residents who are struggling to make rent payments. The goal is always to keep people in their apartments – eviction is always the last resort. Our policy does not allow us to publicly discuss disputes with individual residents and we cannot provide further comments at this time.”
According to LouisianaLawHelp.Org, a tenant cannot withhold rent to compel landlords to make repairs. The website is maintained by the Lagniappe Law Lab and funded by the Louisiana Bar Foundation.
"Withholding rent is not allowed and can result in serious consequences for the tenant, including eviction for nonpayment of rent," the legal education website reads.
However, LouisianaLawHelp.Org notes that tenants have other options for addressing repair problems. Options include reporting unsafe conditions to code enforcement authorities, pursuing legal action, or asking the landlord to fix necessary repairs.
