PONTE VEDRA, Fla. – A Ponte Vedra couple says construction to their apartment is creating a dangerous living environment and now they’re in a fight with their landlord.
This is happening at the Arium Seaglass Apartments in Ponte Vedra where our cameras found some of the buildings undergoing major renovations.
Allison Dudgeon and her husband, Matthew, said major construction on the exterior of their building isn’t safe. They’ve complained about issues ranging from nails in the walkway to holes in the ceiling — and worse.
“We ended up having drywall fall onto my husband when he tries to sleep because he works nights at the hospital,” Allison Dudgeon said. “We even had a construction worker fall through our ceiling.”
The couple said they have contacted the apartment’s management but have been given few options.
“They haven’t given us much of any help. The only offer they gave us a month in was to move into a different apartment,” Dudgeon said, adding that the building they’d move into would also be under construction soon.
News4Jax reached out to complex management at Arium Seaglass. A manager told News4Jax the company would not comment on the issue and deferred to its corporate office.
According to the apartment community’s website, it’s owned by Carroll, a property management company based in Atlanta. Carroll sent News4Jax the following response on Monday:
“The safety and wellbeing of our residents and onsite team is and always has been our number one priority. We are always seeking ways to provide even more value to our residents, and one such way has been with updates to the community. While the remodeling updates have been underway, our onsite team of professionals are ensuring proper safety measures are being met and that residents experience minimal disruption. We are looking into our protocols more deeply to ensure we are providing the residents within our community exceptional living standards at every means possible.”
Attorney Daniel Copeland, who specializes in real property law, said the law typically sides with the landlord in cases like this. He said if the landlord can prove they’re making a reasonable effort to improve the building and not doing it at odd hours, they’re usually within their rights.
But, Copeland said, if a tenant wants to complain about living conditions at their apartment or rental, then they need to make sure it’s done in writing. It cannot be done in person by phone or via text message.
“It’s got to be in writing to the landlord, very specific of what the issue they’re having is,” he said.