CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Imagine being told you have just one week to pack up all of your things and move out of your apartment. Tenants at Meheli Palms Apartments located at 215 H Street in Chula Vista said it’s happening to them.
They’re wondering if it’s legal and have contacted a few attorneys. In the meantime, they’re scrambling to find a new place to stay, after being forced out due to water and plumbing issues.
“I’m dealing with the unknown because they told us, ‘you have a week to find a new home,’” said Jorge Sanchez.
He and his family have lived in the complex for 10 months.
Sanchez said his unit is one of 17 apartments where tenants were just given notice that they have to be out no later than 5 p.m. this Sunday, March 1.
“Right now, I’m survival mode. I contacted my retirement to see if they can send me some funds," he said.
Sanchez, who works in IT at a local university, says he and his wife received a letter from Capital Growth Properties over the weekend which says, since water intrusion and major repairs will take longer than 60 days, it is terminating their lease.
Though Sanchez has renters insurance, he said they told him since there’s no damage to his actual property, he does not qualify for a claim.
In addition, Sanchez is now concerned about his 10-year-old daughter’s health.
“A neighbor said there was a lot of mold, that they had to break down the walls and the pipes had some issue, too, he said.
Sanchez said he doesn’t see water damage in his apartment but does remember seeing mold on some old boots in a closet, which he thought was odd and threw out the boots. He said his daughter also had pneumonia a couple of months ago and he is now wondering if that could be related to mold exposure.
Sanchez said he had to take the day off work so he and his wife could try to apply for different apartments, but supply is limited, and the places that are available by this weekend are running around $2,000 a month. His current rent is $1500 a month.
The letter from Capital Growth Properties said Sanchez is supposed to receive one month’s rent as compensation, but he said he hasn’t seen a check yet. He said that’s making it difficult to come up with a security deposit and first month's rent for another place.
News 8 reached out to the Capital Growth Properties Monday afternoon, but haven’t heard back.