OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – After tenants said they haven't had sufficient in two years, reporter Greta Goede continued to dig and she learned a bigger story about how a landlord operates, and how the laws help make it possible.
- Wise Owl Properties own multiple properties in Omaha
- Reporter Greta Goede traveled to Kansas City to learn more about the company
- KMTV spoke with a former employee and tenants in Kansas City
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
When KMTV started covering this story a couple weeks ago it presented like a relatively typical story about an apartment that didn't have enough heat, but as KMTV continued to dig what our team learned that it tells a much bigger story about how a large scale landlord operates, and how the laws in Omaha and the state of Nebraska help make it possible.
David Barenz said he hasn't had sufficient heat in his apartment for two years, using his oven and several space heaters to keep his home warm. After reporting it to management for weeks, he said it still wasn't fixed.
So KMTV reached out to the property manager who said at the time it would take weeks to get the parts to fix the furnace.
During this time overnight lows in Omaha were in the single digits and Barenz’s apartment dipped below 40 degrees one night.
Barenz experience prompted KMTV to look deeper into the building owner, Wise Owl Properties, which, according to public records is owned by Mark Habibi.
He owns properties in Douglas County and the Kansas City area under different LLC’s:
· Clarissa Properties LLC
· Henry Louis Apartments LCC
· Securities LLC… and
· 3569 Davenport LLC
KMTV called multiple times this month to try to speak with him but after our team didn't receive a response, so we kept pushing for answers.
We drove to Kansas City to the company’s last known address.
“Well, we made it. this the wise owl property office listed on their website,” reporter Greta Goede said. “It has the logo all over it. but we went inside and turns out it's a law office now. Wise Owl properties moved out months ago.”
While in Kansas City, KMTV decided to go to visit different Wise Owl Properties to see what people here had to say.
“The trash never gets ten out its full right now,” one tenant said referring to a trash pile on the side of the building.
“I feel like I’m paying for luxury and living in poverty,” a Wise Owl tenant said.
“It’s bad I haven’t had warm water in three weeks. it's been cold sometimes it spit out slow, so I’ve been taking a shower at planet fitness.”
All these tenant complaints come as no surprise to a former employee, whose identity KMTV is protecting.
“(The owner) never explained why he operates the way that he does. Mainly it’s just about leveraging income and that's about all that we know,” the former employee said.
They employee said they worked for Habibi in Omaha for two years before quitting.
“About 13 buildings and you're the only property manager for all,” they said talking about Omaha buildings.
Q: “Did you find it hard to manage all the buildings?”
A: “It was an extremely challenging job, especially not having resources that were needed to repair the issues that were already there and not to mention the issues that they're causing them just based on the owner’s decisions on what to do."
So how could something like this happen in our communities?
KMTV spoke with State Sen. John Cavanaugh who said because of the way the law is written landlords tend to come out on top when issues go to court.
“The laws are set up to make the landlord tenants court efficient and that efficiency leads to favoring the plaintiff, which is often the landlord,” Cavanaugh said.
Legal Aid of Nebraska said there are economic issues, too.
“The combination of the market pressures of affordable housing plus the law not being super great for tenants as a matter of getting things fixed really putting tenants in these situations that are really shocking for us to hear about,” Caitlin Cedfeldt, an attorney for Legal Aid of Nebraska said.
Back in Omaha, KMTV tried to reach Habibi one more time to give him the opportunity to tell us his story.
“This is Greta Goede with KMTV.”
“No comment, thanks,” Habibi said ending the call.
Barenz’s apartment is in the process of getting a proper heater installed.
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