Residents at a North Dallas apartment complex have been grappling with not only this week's cold snap but also having their water shut off overnight the past two nights.
Management at Saxony apartment homes along Montfort Drive in North Dallas informed residents that while inconvenient, the measure will help prevent water lines from bursting in the frigid temperatures.
"This is about 72 hours now and we've kind of just been dealing with it, unfortunately," said resident Shapier Hill.
The Wisconsin native had not checked her email notifying residents of overnight water shutdowns from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through at least Wednesday.
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The complex then extended the shutoff to include Saturday night given the changing forecast, according to another email shared with NBC 5.
Management says the decision was made in an effort to minimize potential water leaks and bursting pipes and prevent serious damage, especially overnight when the office is closed.
"I didn't think you could just shut the water off," Shapier said.
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She acknowledges she did not check her email and therefore was not aware of the plans until now.
Hill says she did receive a text message from apartment management, but it did not include any information about the upcoming water shutoffs.
NBC 5 reached out to city leaders about whether apartment communities can take such drastic measures.
The city's code compliance department tells NBC 5 that water cannot be shut off unless apartment management is actively making repairs for an issue that would require them to shut off the water.
Dallas renters with similar concerns are urged to file a complaint with the city by dialing 311.
Code compliance has not received any complaints about this property but told NBC 5 they are sending inspectors to investigate the situation, describing this as a 'life hazard issue' that requires inspection response within 24 hours of a complaint.
Just last week, another North Dallas apartment complex, The Tides of Timberglen, backed off its plan to shut off water completely, also in an effort to prevent breaks.
City councilmember Cara Mendelsohn, who represents this area but not Saxony, requested the city code compliance director create an advisory reminding apartment management companies they cannot shut off water in anticipation of water leaks.
A leasing representative at Saxony told NBC 5 the company would comment on the situation, adding residents were told beforehand, that the move was needed because of the number of pipes that burst in the February 2021 storm and even last year.
Moché Earls, the compliance officer for Richdale Apartments released statement regarding the Saxony Apartments saying:
"Just as your station has reported there have already been burst pipes throughout the city during this weather event. And a few at the Saxony. We have lost power during this weather event already for multiple hours and felt that this emergency maintenance measure made sense.
After the initial winter storm of 2021, our community experienced over 90 units that were flooded or experienced burst pipes. Several properties across the metroplex were flooded completely as domestic water lines froze and then broke causing irreparable damage and flooding to so many residents’ homes. We believe that turning off the domestic water for 6 to 7 hours a night when most are sleeping was a small inconvenience compared to the tremendous issues we encountered in the 2021 storm and winter’s storms of 2022 and 2023. If the water lines are drained they have less pressure on them and are less likely to break as a result of the extreme temperatures. Our goal is to alleviate our Saxony residents‘ personal property damage and potential displacement due to flooded apartments. Many residents support this as they know what it was like post Winter Storm 2021.
In the interim, we have offered or are offering alternative housing/accommodations to the few tenants who have complained. In our opinion, there is a silent majority who understand, appreciate and are very supportive of this proactive approach."
