A single mother living in an Omaha apartment building managed by Wise Owl Properties is dealing with multiple water leaks, visible mold, and no hot water for nearly a week.
Watch Hannah's story:
Melanie Gutierrez lives in the Securities Downtown with her 2-year-old and 8-year-old children. What she hoped would become a home has turned into a daily source of stress and safety concerns.
"This is a lot, and it just is weighing on me every single day. When I can leave work or when I pick up my kids, I think 'Gosh, is today gonna be the day the ceiling collapses?'" Gutierrez said.
The latest leak started nine days ago, but Gutierrez said it's not the first water problem in her apartment. She said the damage has created water bubbles on the ceiling and caused her water heater to break.
"We have not had running hot water for about 6 days. And mind you, I have two small children. It's not ideal to bathe them in cold water," Gutierrez said.
The water damage has also led to what appears to be mold forming on the walls and ceiling.
"There is mold all around the ceiling. When I walked in here, this was all dripping water," Gutierrez said.
KMTV attempted to contact the Omaha property manager listed on Wise Owl's website, but the phone never rang and directed the call to a full mailbox. Gutierrez said they actually have a different manager, Lustina Malone. When KMTV reporter Hannah McIlree called Malone and introduced herself, the call disconnected.
Wise Owl manages the Securities building and at least 11 other properties in the Omaha metro area. Gutierrez said management only has two full-time maintenance workers to handle repairs across all buildings.
The company provided Gutierrez with a fan to help dry the leaks, but she said it felt like a temporary fix rather than a real solution.
"I feel like they're handing me this was a very, very temporary fix and not really a solution, but kind of 'Here's this.' And then to continue on, there wasn't really anything they had stated about the hot water or the molds," Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez receives a Section 8 voucher from the Omaha Housing Authority, which limits her housing options. As of Friday, there was no timeline for repairs, and property managers have denied her request to replace the carpet soaked by the leak.
KMTV contacted the Omaha Housing Authority to see how they handle complaints like Gutierrez's and to see if there was another place she could go. We haven't heard back yet.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
