SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — As temperatures drop down to the single digits, people living in a Southfield luxury apartment say they don’t have heat or hot water. The Sapphire in Southfield is a high-rise building advertising the high life. But people living here say the luxury label is a long shot.
“It was like I was kind of sold a dream, a false narrative,” says Sean Reynolds who has lived at the Sapphire for over a year.
Reynolds says this winter has been unbearable."This Friday it will be three weeks with no heat.” To keep from living in an icebox, Reynolds says he’s forced to run multiple heaters and keep his oven open and on all day. A remedy nearly doubling his electric bill.
Another issue, no hot water.
“When you pay this amount of money and you have to go to another family member or friend's house to shower, that’s very frustrating,” says Reynolds.
7 Action News went to the front office to ask what was being done to fix the water and heat. We were told they are working with all parties involved and will need to talk to corporate for further comment.
A spokesperson from The Sapphire released the following statement later that day:
"The safety and well-being of our residents is our top priority. We have been responsive to our residents while making repairs to the HVAC system and have communicated our progress. We secured a temporary boiler at significant expense that is being installed today. Crews will be working around the clock until repairs are safely completed and the system is operational. There is heat and hot water in the building. We have been in communication with our residents and will continue to keep them updated. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused."
The Building Official with the City of Southfield Mark Pilot released the following statement:
“The health, safety, and welfare of all Southfield residents is always our top priority. As such, the City of Southfield issued a violation letter on January 18, 2022, to RESSCO (Sapphire Apartment’s management company) for compliance to restore heat. RESSCO has employed a mechanical contractor to install a temporary boiler that will provide heat until the permanent system can be completely repaired. The contractor expects to complete the temporary boiler installation today with heat fully restored to all units.”
