Residents Complain About Cockroaches, Filth At Concord Apartment

CONCORD (KPIX 5) -- Residents at an East Bay apartment complex complain they are living in filthy conditions infested with roaches, bed bugs and mold.

The tenants living at the Parkhaven Apartments on Clayton Road in Concord are demanding that city officials take action.

A group of tenants went to Concord City Hall to make themselves heard on Tuesday, but it turned out the city is already working on the problem.

It's not just one cockroach or bed bug. They are all over.

"Cockroaches, spiders; sometimes we even hear rats through the walls, scratching," said tenant Elizabeth Lira.

Some tenants were collecting the cockroaches for evidence. KPIX 5 checked out one of the apartments and spotted cockroaches scurrying inside cabinets full of food.

"They're not supposed to be living in infested dwellings," said Edith Pastrano with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.

Pastrano said not only are the tenants dealing with bug infestation, they are also facing rent increases

"Many of the tenants are putting up with the conditions and not speaking up with fear they're going to be retaliated against and kicked out," said Pastrano.

When KPIX 5 reached out to the landlord, the landlord contacted Concord Police to ask us to leave the property.

Later, Tim Larsen -- an attorney representing the apartment complex -- contacted KPIX 5 wanting to give the landlord's side of the story.

"Look, we believe that we have addressed all the issues that on site that have been brought to our attention," said Larsen. "If there are outstanding issues at the site, the tenants are well within their rights to come and address those problems with property management."

Late Tuesday afternoon, a group of tenants delivered a folder filled with maintenance complaints to City Hall.

But the City of Concord said it is aware of several violations after sending a team of inspectors out Monday to investigate. Violations ranged from mold to cracked balconies to rat infestations.

The city says the landlord has ten days to respond to the notice being sent about the violations. If the landlord does not respond, the city could send Concord police back to hand out a citation.