JXN Water: Five apartment complexes owe more than $1.8 million in past-due water bills - WLBT

JXN Water: Five apartment complexes owe more than $1.8 million in past-due water bills

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Five apartment complexes in Jackson owe more than $1.8 million in past-due water bills and are in danger of being shut off.

The list of the complexes was released to WLBT on Friday. All five are more than 90 days past due.

“In a city like Jackson that is mostly renters, multi-family properties can present challenges for turnoffs, especially for landlords that are collecting money for water bills through the rent. It’s important for renters to know their rights and if the landlord is not paying their water bill, they deserve to know why,” said Ameerah Palacios, spokeswoman for JXN Water.

Apartments include:

- Addison Place Apartments - 3175 Robinson St. - $267,000 past due
- Carrington Townhouses - 420 Beasley Rd. - $330,000 past due
- Tracewood Apartments - 6300 Old Canton Rd. - $443,000 past due
- Blossom Apartments - 3100 Woodbine St. - $436,000 past due
- The Park at St. Andrew’s -2119 Woodland Way - $325,000 past due

A person who answered the phone at the Tracewood Apartments said the company had not received any bills. She declined to give her name and hung up when we asked if she had reached out to JXN Water.

No other apartment complexes had responded to our request for comment. A phone number for Addison Place was disconnected and we were unable to leave a message for the Blossom Apartments.

All five properties are owned by out-of-state companies, according to the Hinds County Tax Assessor’s webpage. Those owners are shown below:

- Addison Place: PF Addison LLC, Brooklyn, NY
- Blossom Apartments: Blossom Apartments LLC, Monroe, LA
- Carrington Townhomes: Jackson MS TIC A LLC - Brooklyn, NY
- Tracewood Apartments: Pineview Equity Group, Lakewood, NJ
- The Park at St. Andrews: Woodlands Property 1031 LLC, Tampa, FL

Turnoffs for commercial properties began in March. It’s unclear when these properties could be shut off.

We have reached out to Jackson Director of Communications Melissa Faith Payne for comment. She referred all questions to JXN Water.

According to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website, PF Addison’s officer/director is Chaim, or Chaikel, Puretz.

A man with the same name, age, and business address as Puretz is facing multiple charges in Marion County, Indiana, for allegedly stealing more than $1.6 million in water fees from four apartment complexes there, causing water to be shut off for tenants.

The Indianapolis Star reported that the apartments were managed by JPC Affordable Housing Foundation, which “failed to pay $1.7 million in utility bills, according to Citizens Energy Group.”

Federal filings found in the Pro Publica database show the nonprofit is located at 10 Hill St., 14 in Newark, which, according to a LexisNexis search, is associated with Puretz. The same LexisNexis search revealed Puretz has an address at 1223 East 13th St., in Brooklyn, which is listed as the mailing address on the PF Addison application for reinstatement filed with the Mississippi Secretary of State.

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