NKY family forced to live without heat after previous tenants stole electricity
COVINGTON, Ky. (WKRC) — A local family is out of their home and into the cold, living in the only place where they can find heat—their car.
Their hard luck began when they learned the people who previously rented the home in which they now live were apparently stealing electricity from Duke Energy.
A local family is out of their home and into the cold, living in the only place where they can find heat—their car. Their hard luck began when they learned the people who previously rented the home in which they now live were apparently stealing electricity from Duke Energy. (WKRC)
“There was a spatula on this side, shoved into the meter, and another piece of metal on this side shoved into the meter,” Jessica Tarter said.
She showed Local 12 what she found in her basement when she said Duke Energy told her there was no electrical meter in her home.
“They had stripped the wire up here, the cable, and cut the other two lines here to conduct enough electricity to run the house illegally,” said Tarter.
Tarter said Duke immediately came out to see if someone had in fact been stealing electricity, and when they arrived, they disconnected the home because it was unsafe, which was confirmed by electrician Caleb Parson.
“They got wires stripped out too far; the ground’s almost touching hots,” Parson said. “That’s a good cause for things to blow up and catch on fire.”
A local family is out of their home and into the cold, living in the only place where they can find heat—their car. Their hard luck began when they learned the people who previously rented the home in which they now live were apparently stealing electricity from Duke Energy. (WKRC)
Parson said that it could cost thousands of dollars to fix. That leaves Tarter, her boyfriend, her 19-year-old son, and her dog out in the cold.
“We’ve had to literally sleep in our car,” said Tarter. “I’ve had to send my son to his dad’s house. It’s been so bitterly cold that we can’t even come in here and sleep.”
Obviously, the family can’t cook in the home, so they are forced to eat takeout, something they really can’t afford. Local 12 contacted Tarter’s landlord to find out why he is not fixing the problem.
The landlord has yet to reply. So, for now, Tarter’s family will continue sleeping in their car, where it may not be roomy, but at least it’s warm.
“We don’t have the finances to put ourselves up in a hotel. I’ve even asked him if he would put us up in a hotel, and I got no reply,” said Tarter.
A local family is out of their home and into the cold, living in the only place where they can find heat—their car. Their hard luck began when they learned the people who previously rented the home in which they now live were apparently stealing electricity from Duke Energy. (WKRC)
Most cities have a rental property ordinance requiring landlords to provide heat in the winter. Covington is no exception. Section 153.31 of the municipal code shows that landlords must “maintain in good and safe working order and condition all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, and heating.” If they don’t, the code says the tenant can get it fixed and deduct the cost from their rent.
The tenant can also find substitute housing and not pay rent until the problem is fixed. Unfortunately, many people don’t have the money to pay for the repair or a hotel—and that is certainly the case with Tarter’s family. The city can fine the landlord, but that, of course, takes due process and time, which doesn’t help this family.
Luckily, the electrician in this story says he will loan a generator to the family so they can temporarily run their heat—but it is in no way a permanent solution.