Sapphire Apartment residents in Southfield forced out of homes due to major water pipe problems

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Angry Sapphire Apartment residents are asking for help after they were forced out of their homes because of major water pipe problems.

The Southfield City Council got an earful from families who said they're at their wits' end. Residents said the frozen pipes are just the beginning of the issues.

"I can say from about Dec. 10, there was no heat in my apartment," resident Sherri Jackson said.

Frozen pipes started bursting in the building Friday, and the company that owns the apartments, RESSCO, put its tenants up in nearby hotels while the water mess was worked on. But residents said the water is just the beginning.

There have been major heating problems and issues with service in general. Residents said the front office staff seems to constantly change.

"(This is) my first time living in a high rise apartment, and it's been a total nightmare," Sherea Jackson said. 

Rent at Sapphire starts at around $1,000 and goes over $2,000 per month. Residents told Southfield's mayor and City Council members that they're getting nothing to show for it.

Here is a statement released by RESSCO spokesperson Leslie Pardo:

"We completely empathize with our residents and we are doing everything possible to limit this inconvenience. Record low temperatures caused unexpected broken pipes and significant water loss in the building. To prevent further damage and do the proper repairs, the remaining water had to be drained from the systems, which included the boiler, forcing us to evacuate the building. The mechanical company is working around the clock, and informed us that heat and water will be restored Thursday at the earliest or Friday at the latest. In meantime, we are paying for all residents to stay in nearby hotels and are not charging rent for the impacted timeframe.

"This is an unfortunate situation, and we are working as fast as humanly possible to get our residents back in their homes. We will continue to communicate with our residents as we remedy the situation."

You can watch Mara MacDonald's full story in the video posted above.