OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Landlords across the country have started the eviction process early, despite an active federal moratorium due to the pandemic.
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One Omaha family says they are up-to-date on rent, yet their landlord, William Stanek, is not renewing their lease and evicting them.
For the last two weeks, we've shined a light on the loophole Stanek is using to continue evicting tenants from his apartment building on Jones St.
Instead of evicting a tenant because of unpaid rent, which is not allowed, Stanek is removing renters because their leases were up and he decided not to renew them.
Mary Miller and her family were the latest victims in this loophole, with the eviction finalized on Tuesday in the courtroom.
Stanek gave miller a 30-day notice to leave after she made complaints to the city about the condition of the apartment in February.
Miller's complaint highlights water damage, leaking ceilings, holes in the wall, missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as doors not installed.
The difference in this case compared to others we've shared is the Miller family is current on their rent. That's according to Legal Aid of Nebraska attorneys.
The family wants to stay and pay rent as they have no other place to go if evicted. In fear of not being able to find other housing, the family chose not to be on camera. Here's what they had to say:
“The backdoor wasn't even on. I had to put that on myself because we had the door kicked in six times because the door was so weak. I was lucky I was there to shoo them out of there. The mice there are also so bad. We had caught over 50 mice since we've lived there. The bugs are terrible too. Bugs everywhere. We tried everything and we can't get rid of them," said Miller’s husband.
3 News Now reporter Kent Luetzen asked why they chose to live in the apartment if the conditions were so rough. Miller said the landlord accepts general assistance and the pair were trying to get back on their feet after one of them was left disabled right before the pandemic hit.
KMTV again reached out to Stanek and he has not returned our phone calls. Chief City Housing Inspector Scott Lane says 9 out of the 12 apartments in Stanek’s building currently have an open violation case.
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