A mother of two is trying to rebuild her life after a fire tore through her apartment at Imperial Gardens in St. Ann on October 22 but now she says apartment management is hitting her with unexpected fees on top of her loss.
According to the tenant, after the fire left her unit unlivable, management originally told her she could move into another unit without paying anything extra. But that quickly changed. She was later told she would need to come up with $2,000 to either relocate or break her lease. That amount includes a new deposit and first month’s rent, even though she had already paid those costs before the fire.
She says she lost nearly everything and hasn’t been able to return to the damaged unit since. Even with renter’s insurance, she was allegedly told that unless she pays the full amount, she won’t be allowed to transfer or terminate her lease.
Typically, when a unit becomes uninhabitable due to fire, tenants can either end their lease or expect relocation without penalty. But Missouri law is vague, and many renters are left in the dark during emergencies like this.
Situations like this make you wonder how families are really being treated after a crisis. When people lose everything, they shouldn’t be met with more financial barriers just to start over.
