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Frustrated Tenants Forced Out of Condemned Building, Say Landlord Did Nothing to Help

PLYMOUTH, Pa. — Tenants were kicked out of an apartment building Wednesday morning on East Main Street after it was condemned. Newswatch 16 got a look ins...

PLYMOUTH, Pa. -- Tenants were kicked out of an apartment building Wednesday morning on East Main Street after it was condemned.

Newswatch 16 got a look inside some of the apartments and the building is a mess. There were dead mice on the floor, mold on walls, and even broken ceilings.

Tenants said the landlord never lived up to promises to make the place livable.

“The ceiling leaks whenever it rains; it pours in our house,” tenant Jessica Hodle said.

The borough forced her out Wednesday morning when the building was condemned.

“The mice, they just run behind the TV, go the opposite direction, run over here and into the kitchen,” Hodle said.

She said she moved in under the guise that her landlord Colleen Burns would fix it, but for months Hodle said nothing has been done.

“I've texted her so many times. I've texted the guys that she says is the maintenance men to the property and it doesn't even matter. Nothing matters to her,” Hodle said.

A dozen other people were kicked out of their apartments. They only had a short amount of time to get their things.

“They gave us two hours to get out of here, that was like a slap in the face,” tenant Tom Hogan said.

Tenants said once they realized Burns wasn’t going to help they invested a lot of their own money to make the apartments livable, only to get kicked out when it was condemned.

“The carpets need to be replaced because of previous tenants that had cats and dogs and it smells like urine and feces in our apartment. Even a steam cleaner couldn't get it out and I rented one,” Hodle said.

“She won't do anything! She won't fix anything. She lets things go but then right when rent time comes, she wants the rent money,” Hogan said.

Now, tenants said they’re not sure what they’re going to do or where they’re going to live.

“I have family locally, we'll be staying with them for a little bit but then otherwise I mean, I guess local shelters,” Hodle said.

Former tenant Keynan Boyle said he plans on suing Burns.

“She owes me at least rent for April which I paid rent and didn't have power for. I haven't had power for several months now,” Boyle said.

We reached out to Colleen Burns for a comment and she did not return our calls.

She could face citations and fines because of the condition of the building.

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