Pueblo tenant warns of ‘disgusting’ living conditions

When Misty Rael walked into her apartment last week, she said she found a cockroach infestation.

“When I moved the oven, all kinds of cockroaches came out,” she said. “Cat litter. Feces. Cockroaches. Cockroach eggs. The living conditions were just bad. Holes in the bathroom.”

Rael and her husband moved into an apartment at 1108 W. 14 St. sight unseen.

“I was overwhelmed with how am I going to clean this. How am I going to get it livable,” she said.

The landlord, Darla Ewing, told KRDO NewsChannel 13 the apartment was a mess, but she said Rael agreed to clean it in exchange for not paying her deposit. Rael said she did pay the deposit. KRDO NewsChannel 13 read Rael’s lease and found no mention of Rael forfeiting her deposit in exchange for cleaning services.

“I told her that it was gross,” Rael said about her conversation with Ewing. “It was disgusting, but that I was willing to clean it because I had nowhere else to go.”

But three days after getting the keys to the apartment, Rael turned them back in and moved out.

“We just said enough is enough. I can’t do it anymore.”

Since 2007, the city has received 11 complaints about the outside appearance of
the complex. The city’s code enforcement manager, Karen Willson, said she needs a tenant to allow her inside to decide whether the property should be condemned.

“What we require is that they come in and fill out a complaint form, which gives us that consent that we need to enter onto someone’s property and into their home,” Willson said.

Rael said the experience is a lesson learned. She and her husband are staying with friends until they move into their new place next month.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 learned that Ewing paid a $5,000 fine last year for not paying a water bill for another rental property that has since been condemned.