Residents report harsh living conditions at an apartment complex in North Austin.

Austin, Texas – Residents of an apartment complex in North Austin held a press conference Wednesday to draw attention to issues they say they’ve been dealing with since Winter Storm Uri or longer.

“I’ve been here for 10 years,” said Stephen Frischmuth. “Compliance with the code has been around for 10 years.”

Creek’s Edge Apartments residents took turns sharing their stories.

“They always go after us for fees, fines and violations on our part, but they allow us to go without hot water for a month,” Frischmuth said. “They let us live with the bugs, they do all these other things, and they do it with impunity.”

According to residents, sometimes they had no water at all, and when hot water came back, it was either too hot or not up to standard. Frischmuth said that they once installed temporary showers in the apartment and placed them on the tennis courts.

Residents also said that washing machines are always broken and service requests are generally unresponsive or mediocre.

“We just put up with it, but it got to the point last month that we can’t take it anymore,” said Ella Stewart, who moved in with her husband in January 2022.. “Actually I just took a shower and I had to boil water to wash my hair and everything.”

According to the Austin Department of Code website, there have been 25 complaints filed against Creek’s Edge apartments in the last six months alone.

Complex has been on the Austin Code repeat offender list since 2014, with over 900 violations in total.

Creek’s Edge Apartments is currently managed by GVA Real Estate Group, but the ownership of the complex has undergone several changes.

“One thing that hasn’t changed is the poor living conditions they have to deal with on a daily basis,” said Gabby Garcia, a rental organizer at BASTA, a non-profit organization that works with tenants throughout Austin.

On Wednesday, tenants asked that Austin Code take the case to the Building and Standards Commission for further action and stop the complex from renting vacant spaces.

“We just hope things get better,” Stewart said. “It was difficult enough to find housing in Austin that was reasonably affordable for us, so it would be difficult to go through the process again.”

FOX 7 has contacted the management company and is awaiting a response.