SAN ANTONIO — Devante Brown said his job has him out in the Texas heat everyday. He would like to come home to a hot shower afterwards, but when he moved into Serenity Residences off of Wurzbach road, in early September, he said the water just never seemed to be hot at the end of the day.
“I was mad at first but I was just like, maybe they cut it off for some reason because they were working on something,” Brown said.
The tenant waited a few days to see if it would be addressed but eventually put in a work order. When that didn't work, he called San Antonio Code Enforcement. Code Enforcement did come out Sept. 27, and confirmed the issue, but Brown said he was still waiting for a fix at the end of the month.
Finally, he called KENS 5.
"I like the apartment but it's a problem. I need hot water," Brown said. "I'm outside all day and when I get home I have to take a cold shower."
KENS 5 reached out to management on the property on Oct. 1. The acting manager at the time refused to provide his full name and just told us to leave the property.
KENS 5 was then able to reach out to property owner Patrick Duke a few days later. Duke was more than willing to investigate the issue. He also told KENS the manager that kicked us off was no longer on the property and they had a new manager.
Duke worked with his property manager to fix a boiler at the property, as well as other components, multiple times over the next week. Unfortunately, those repairs didn't solve the issue in Brown's apartment. KENS 5 also sent Duke proof the water was still cold on multiple occasions.
KENS 5 also reached out to San Antonio Code Enforcement. Code enforcement later confirmed they had inspected Browns apartment four times since Sept. 27 and the water only passed inspection on one of those visits. San Antonio Code Enforcement eventually fined the complex $300 over the water issue.
Still, Duke continued to work on the issue and maintenance eventually found a clogged water cartridge in Browns apartment. On the day KENS 5's story aired, Duke said they found the issue and would be installing a new cartridge the next day. He said the water was already warmer in the apartment.
Duke also told KENS 5 the ownership group had spent more than a million dollars improving the property since it was acquired in 2023.
According to Code Enforcement, the Serenity Residences landed in the San Antonio Proactive Apartment Inspection Program in July of 2023 due to past violations. Property management ended up repairing 331 violations while in that program.
The property owners successfully made those repairs and "graduated" from the city program in July of 2024.
Duke told KENS 5 the Proactive Apartment Inspection Program subjected them to constant inspections and other requirements. He said the complex eventually graduated from the program "with flying colors" and he absolutely wants to fix issues at the complex and stay out of that program in the future.
KENS 5 will be following up with the tenant in the future.
If you have a problem like this, we want to help you fix it! In our series, Call KENS, we do our best to solve problems for our viewers. The number to call is 210-470-KENS, or fill out the form on this page.