Western Mass News is getting answers after a concerned viewer reached out to our newsroom saying her apartment building in Springfield has been without heat for 17 days.
SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Western Mass News is getting answers after a concerned viewer reached out to our newsroom saying her apartment building in Springfield has been without heat for 17 days.
We spoke with the owner of the apartment buildings and found out that some tenants have been without heat as they replace the heating systems. We asked why it has taken so long and what they are doing to help those impacted.
“Given the supply chain shortages around, repair was not a viable option, so we replace the heating systems in each of these buildings,” said Bob Couture, owner and manager of Pearl Street Apartments. “We had to go to three locations in Boston to get four different heating systems to be able to do this as quickly as possible.”
Couture told Western Mass News that his staff has been working tirelessly to replace the heating system that broke in two of the buildings, however he said that finding the proper boilers has posed a challenge due to supply chain shortages.
One tenant who wished to remain anonymous, first alerted us to the situation, saying she has been without heat for almost three weeks.
“So 18 days ago, was like a Friday afternoon, I heard the heat go, just die,” she said. “You could hear it in the pipes.”
Couture said that he and the apartment’s management company have offered temporary solutions for people who still do not have heat in their apartments.
“We’ve been putting them up in a hotel until we get the permanent fix in place,” he said. “We provided space heaters for those who wanted to remain in their units.”
Couture told us that they paid for hotel rooms for the tenants who wanted them, and for those who chose to stay in their apartments and use the space heaters, reimbursements for electric bills are being made.
However, the tenant we spoke to said that she is not happy with the owner’s handling of the situation.
“A space heater is not an effective way to heat your home, and I don’t feel safe with it personally,” she said. “My point is this owner should’ve taken responsibility from the beginning.”
She added that she had sent an email to the owner when she first noticed the heat was not working on January 21st, wondering when the issue would be resolved, but actions were not made until a week later.
“I know when it’s cold it’s not fun to be in like this,” said Couture. “We got children to deal with, some that are elderly. We are working really, really hard, but we’re in this environment of there’s no product.”
He told us that as of Tuesday, the heat in one of the buildings has been completely restored and about 90 percent restored in the other.
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