Carson City judge orders families of Carson Pines Apartments to vacate; 'negligent' owner could face criminal charges
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Sun, 01/08/2023 - 12:06pm
During a court hearing regarding the Carson Pines Apartment evictions Friday morning, Judge Kristin Luis ordered that all families must leave due to the uninhabitable nature of the second floor of the building.
Within the complex, 23 families faced eviction with as little as six days to vacate after owner William “Bill” Kranz and management company Eagle Real Estate failed to tell tenants the building was going to be condemned.
Many of the affected tenants are elderly or disabled.
During the court hearings, Thomas Marshall, a building official contracted by Carson City, revealed that the roof of the complex and the second floor of the apartments are significantly damaged and decrepit to the extent of being structurally unsafe.
Recent winter storms with heavy snowfall have increased the damage to the roof, Marshall said, and heavy precipitation in the last week has made the stairwells even more unstable.
“The stairwells cannot be accessed,” Marshall said. “They are not safe.”
About 25 residents of Carson Pines listened in the public seating area as Marshall reported his findings based on surveys of the property.
While Marshall spoke, one frustrated former resident shouted, “We are being thrown out into the streets.”
Laura Hanson, a single mom with 2 children, said she juggles 3 jobs to pay her bills and has nowhere to go as a result of the evictions.
“This has affected us a lot,” Hanson said. “I haven’t been able to work.”
Management has been aware of the problems and has made multiple court appearances regarding the issues beginning in June 2021.
Some of those uprooted from their homes, including Jamie Burke, 43, have few options.
“We’re staying with family on an air mattress on the living room floor,” Burke said.
Burke said she has a 4-year-old with autism, and is looking for a new place to live but the only available places have half the space and cost twice as much.
“We don’t have a home, it got ripped out from under me,” Burke said.
During the hearing, Kranz was ordered to appear for another hearing on Monday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. where he may face contempt charges.
Luis issued a stern warning to Kranz that she may hold him in contempt due to his lack of action to initiate repairs despite several prompts by the courts.
“He failed to take the appropriate steps to remediate, or state (the work) couldn’t be done,” Luis said.
Luis said the defendant was responsible for the inaction and therefore needs to be accountable for failing to remedy the situation.
Heather Lopez of Eagle Real Estate Management Inc. did not speak at the hearing. According to Carson Pines residents and documentation sent to Carson Now, all correspondence tenants received about the apartment complex came from the property management company.
As reported in an earlier story, tenants were told by Carson Pines after Christmas that they were evicted and had to be out by Jan. 6.
John Vela, 57, is disabled and lived in a 2nd floor apartment with his wife, Adrianna Domaratius, 29.
He also expressed frustration with the lack of communication about the substandard state of the stairs, walkways and roof.
“We will be sleeping in the car after today,” Vela said.
Kranz made no comments during the hearing, and was represented by counsel who stated that issues obtaining supplies needed to make necessary repairs on the stairwells were part of the reason such repairs were not initiated.
In October of 2021 Carson Pines was found to be not in compliance with the following codes: (Carson City)
2. The anchorage of the floor or roof to walls or columns, and of walls and columns to foundations is not capable of resisting all nominal loads or load effects.
5. Structural members that have evidence of deterioration or that are not capable of safely supporting all nominal loads and load effects.
8. Roofing or roofing components that have defects that admit rain, roof surfaces with inadequate drainage, or any portion of the roof framing that is not in good repair with signs of deterioration, fatigue or without proper anchorage and incapable of supporting all nominal loads and resisting all load effects.
9. Flooring and flooring components with defects that affect serviceability or flooring components that show signs of deterioration or fatigue, are not properly anchored or are incapable of supporting all nominal loads and resisting all load effects.
12. Exterior stairs, decks, porches, balconies and all similar appurtenances attached thereto, including guards and handrails, are not structurally sound, not properly anchored or that are anchored with connections not capable of supporting all nominal loads and resisting all load effects.
Former resident Jeff Nicklow, 62, said he feels he and other tenants were unfairly forced to leave their homes.
“We have been dislocated due to the negligence of the property owner and manager,” Nicklow said.
Nicklow stated he is not getting any response from Lopez in an attempt to get proof of his rental history at the apartments and it is hampering his ability to rent a different place in Carson City.
“I have been in this building for 5 years,” he said.
Tenants can seek legal help from VARN: Volunteer Attorneys of Rural Nevada. Their phone number is (775) 883-8278 and they can also be contacted via their website at https://www.varn.org
This story will be updated when more information is available.
