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Kingsville elderly couple claims management refuses to pay to clean "dirty and black" air ducts

Posted at 3:52 PM, Dec 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-09 16:52:18-05

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — An elderly couple claims a filthy A/C and heating unit in their apartment has landed them both in the doctor's office. They say the leasing office is refusing to make the necessary repairs.

Juan and Berta Ramirez are living at Hawks Landing in Kingsville while their custom home is being built.

But shortly after moving in, they say they realized the air ducts were covered in black dirt and would blow out particles of dust.

“The air condition and looked at the filter and it was laying on the floor all wrinkled up black,” said Juan Ramirez, tenant.

They contacted the leasing office, who they say neglected to clean the air ducts.

Instead they say managment told them they could pay a private company to do the cleaning, but the money would have to come out of their pockets.

They told us that they could not do anything about it, but if we wanted to move to another unit it would cost us 300 dollars more

Since moving in back in August, the Ramirez’s say the air quality in their apartment has made them both sick. When they told Hawk Landing management about it, they say they didn't receive any compassion.

“You're going to have to bring some kind of statement from a physician that this is what's causing your problem,” said Ramirez.

Even then, the Ramirez’s did go to the doctor, and received a note that states it was the doctor’s opinion that the air quality was what was affecting the couple's health.

“She happened to have a condition called CPOD a lung problem, and it got so bad we had to rent a hotel,” said Ramirez.

The couple has resorted to using space heaters and electric fans. But they just want management to clean the air ducts, for the sake of their health.

We reached out to Hawks Landing's Management who said the couple's lease agreement states they "accepted the apartment as is" and the health standards "are acceptable for ordinary persons".

They also claim the elderly couple is leaving their windows open and that could have affected their air quality indoors. But in a phone conversation they told us they are offering to let the couple out of their lease.