Residents cleared out of condemned apartments, put up in hotels by property owner

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) – Two weeks ago, the city of Birmingham condemned the Bankhead Towers apartment building, an apartment complex downtown for people aged 62 or older. Thursday, Birmingham Police were at that apartment complex.

Rick Journey with the city released a statement about the situation which reads:

“The building has previously been condemned and determined to be unsafe and unfit for human habitation. It is the property owner’s responsibility to ensure residents vacate the premises. While the vast majority of residents have been relocated, a small number of residents have not departed. The city is exercising its process in the condemnation procedure to ensure the safety of the remaining residents. Social services have been engaged to assist residents at the scene.”

Rick Journey, City of Birmingham

Quentin is one of the residents who had to move out Thursday. He asked not to be on camera or have his last name used. Quentin says he lived in Bankhead Towers for two years and says “living under a bridge would have been better”.

Quentin says Bankhead Towers was “nasty”. He says he had water leaking in his kitchen, a stopped-up bathtub and bed bugs that caused him to throw away $8,000 dollars worth of furniture.

According to some of the Bankhead Towers residents, the property owner, Millennia Housing Management, is putting residents up in a hotel while the apartment building is renovated.

“I hate having to start over, but they’re relocating everybody, putting them in hotels all over the city, and after they fix it, I think they’re going to bring us all back,” said Chris Edwards, who lived in the building for three years. “I think I will come back but I think I’m going to start looking too.”

On September 27, Millenia Housing Management provided a statement to CBS 42 about the condemnation notice which read:

“As the property management team responsible for the day-to-day maintenance and operations of Bankhead Towers, The Millennia Companies is aware of the condemnation order and is actively preparing to make the required repairs. The management team is committed to supporting residents throughout this process and sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience caused.”

Kendall Maggard, Millennia Housing Management Manager of Communications

CBS 42 reached out to Maggard Thursday afternoon for an update on the status of the building and plans moving forward but have yet to hear back.

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