Not Exactly Home Sweet Home
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (CBS 2) -- Residents of a Long Island apartment building are beyond heated Tuesday night.
They've had no gas service for the past month and a half – and no one is telling them when it will be turned back on.
The 36 units in the Maplewood Garden Apartments in Rockville Centre lost their gas service because of some minor leaks – but as plumbers are going door to door trying to isolate and find the problems, things are getting torn up. Walls are left torn down and ceilings are exposed in the building's lobby.
Residents feel put out, to say the least.
"We can't cook. We can't wash our clothes here," said Laura Southwick, a resident of the apartment buildings. "I have teenage kids. To eat three meals out a day is an exorbitant cost."
A neighboring building under the same management faced gas leaks previously - and it took a month for the service to be restored. But the building currently facing problems has more apartments and the pipes are much less accessible – so there's no telling when the gas will start flowing again.
Residents received letters and emails detailing the problems – but no reduction in rent or other help.
"I don't feel I should pay my full amount of rent, on top of buying additional food because I can't cook," said resident Dana Mingo.
The company that manages both buildings, Mark Greenberg Real Estate, declined to go on camera, but they did provide CBS 2 HD with a statement.
"We're doing the best we can in a bad situation to get the gas turned back on as soon as possible," they said.
But the company declined to comment when asked if residents should be compensated for their problems.
