Pasadena tenant battles termite infestation at Southmore Park Apartments

Termites take over Pasadena woman's apartment

A tenant at the Southmore Park Apartments in Pasadena is fed up. She says she's been living in a termite infested unit for two months.

PASADENA, Texas - A Pasadena resident is seeking to move out of her termite-infested apartment at Southmore Park Apartments, where she has lived for two months. With a baby on the way, Natalie Garcia is frustrated by the lack of action from property management.

Pasadena apartment tenant battling termite infestation

The conditions at Southmore Park Apartments are far from ideal. While the exterior of the complex appears well-maintained, the interior tells a different story.

What they're saying:

Garcia described her experience, "At first, everything was okay, and then I started noticing holes in the wall of dirt, and then I noticed the termites. I sent the work order since May 26 and nothing was being done about it."

Garcia has repeatedly alerted the property manager about the infestation, submitting a work order on May 27. Despite attempts to patch the walls with caulk, the termites have persisted.

Garcia recounted a particularly unsettling incident: "Last night was the grossest time. We were in the middle of eating dinner and I look up ,and just a whole bunch of termites are flying."

FOX 26 reached out to the apartment complex via email and phone but did not receive a response. Garcia shared that the complex's inability to address the issue stems from a broken termite machine. 

"Before she told me the termite machine was broken, and they were waiting for it to be fixed. Until the swarm of termites happened is when they decided to do something, because we told them we were going to the news or the city," Garcia explained.

Garcia, who moved into the apartment two months ago, is now seeking to be relocated within the complex.

Advice from FOX 26 legal analyst

Options for apartment owners

FOX 26 Reporter Jonathan Mejia spoke with FOX 26 Senior Legal Analyst Chris Tritico about the options apartment tenants have in certain situations.

What you can do:

Reporter Jonathan Mejia spoke to FOX 26 Senior Legal Analyst Chris Tritico about what tenants can do in situations like Garcia's.

"The first thing I would do is document in writing - with video and photographic evidence - exactly what's happening in that apartment unit," said Tritico. "I would send that to the management and show them the conditions that I'm living under."

Tritico goes on to suggest that tenants request to be moved to a different unit in the complex.

"If they deny that, then I would send them - under Texas law - what's called a 10-day letter. And I would send this either email, hand delivery, and certified mail, giving them 10 days to remedy the problem. Once that 10 days passes, and they have not removed the problem, Texas law gives you the right to move," Tritico said. "It doesn't mean they're not gonna sue you, but if they haven't remedied the problem, you get to move. And in that lawsuit, if they sue you for breaking the lease, you have a defense to the lawsuit. You gave them the option to fix it. They didn't do it in 10 days. You have proof of this infestation that is a habitability issue at the apartment, and, under Texas law, you get to move."