Her apartment building survived a fire. That was just the start of her problems.

Katrina Sligar and her family have a terrible roommate. It’s been there since March — big, loud and constantly blowing hot air.

No, it’s not me. It’s a dehumidifier.

“I really hate it!” said Sligar. “I wish I could, like, throw it out the window right now!”

And Sligar is told she can’t evict this roommate.

“It’s 104 degrees in here. And it also shows how long it’s been running for,” said Sligar.

Remember that crazy heat streak in June? The machine was running 24 hours a day during that time, helping break records in her apartment.

“And it was just unbearable. Just the heat. I just felt like I was about to have a stroke,” said Sligar.

The dehumidifier was put there after a smoking dryer triggered the building’s sprinkler system, resulting in a mess of water and towels to clean it up.

Sligar said she’s told management multiple times about the issue, but its staff did not remove the machine.

“So when I went down there and asked them about the dehumidifier, which is in my bedroom right now,” said Sligar, “they said I couldn’t remove it, or I would be charged for all the restoration for my apartment.”

In the meantime, she’s paid for a hotel stay for her family just to escape it all.

And Sligar’s lost her privacy because the living room is now her bedroom.

“So I’ve just had my little feng shui, like how I like my bedroom, but it’s still just not comfortable,” she said.

So Sligar called us. And we contacted the property manager — FPI Management.

She said that soon after, the dehumidifier was removed and maintenance was scheduled.

“They said that they took everything to corporate and that corporate would be reimbursing me. And they’re going to get everything together,” said Sligar.

However, FPI Management sent us this email with a timeline stating Sligar didn’t contact it about the machine until last month:

“August 6, 2021… This is the first time that Ms. Sligar informed FPI about the dehumidifier.”

“That just kind of angers me,” said Sligar. “Because I’ve been calling and emailing them.”

Sligar had provided us with emails that show her going back and forth with management for months: talking about damage to her apartment, the loss of a mattress due to water damage and even reimbursement for the hotel stay.

“I’ve been a resident for eight years. I didn’t think that it would come to this,” said Sligar.

We sent all of the emails to FPI asking for a response, and it went silent.

Now Sligar wants her family out of this hot mess.

“I might have to move far north or far south. I’m not sure at this point,” said Sligar. “But I want to keep my son in the same school. But it will be tough.”

UPDATE:

We just got a response from a regional manager at FPI, portfolio manager Kimberly Robinson, who said it was the first time she’d seen those emails we sent them.

She also apologized for not getting the dehumidifier out sooner, saying in part:

“That didn’t happen, and was an error on our part-- we accept and acknowledge that.”

She also said the management didn’t get the mattress receipt. So we sent over the invoices for the mattress and the hotel, just to make sure they got it.

FPI also told us it tested the air and carpet for moisture and mold. And tests came up negative. It now promises to get those results to Sligar.

Email Jesse right now at [email protected]

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