LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Changes are already on the way for the Big Country Chateau apartments since there is a new management company overseeing the property.
A Little Rock judge confirmed on Tuesday, that the owners of Big Country Chateau must pay an estimated $30,000 for code violations that they have had over the last year.
Though a new company is managing the complex some residents have said that the fine, and the start of improvements, still aren't enough.
Norma Huffman has lived at Big Country Chateau for three years and explained that she feels stuck
"Nothing changed. Everything's getting worse... I am fed up, completely sick," Huffman said.
One advocacy group, Arkansas Renters United, said that the fines for Big Country only cover a fraction of the charges that inspectors found.
"It's pretty sad. But that this is a historic fine for the city of Little Rock, because they're not even fully enforcing city code," Community Organizer, Al Allen said.
A letter sent last week from the city attorney Alan Jones to Judge Mark Leverett stated that nearly all apartment violations are back up to code or boarded up.
Though when we visited on Wednesday— that didn't appear to be the case.
According to the city code, some of the life safety violations include:
- Electrical lighting that is not maintained in a safe condition.
- Deteriorated or ineffective waterproofing of exterior walls, roof, or floors, including broken windows or doors
- General dilapidation or improper maintenance
All of the issues we saw during our visit are shown in the video above.
"The residents that are still there, including me and my son, we are sick. I mean, physically sick," Huffman explained.
Due to the Big Country Chateau owner's account still being frozen— court-appointed new management, Tarantino Properties have taken over.
While some improvements are being made, like restoring on-site staffing, it's a slow process that many residents have said isn't worth their rent money.
"Yes, there's new management. Yes, they're starting to try to fix the place up. But it's not good enough. It's too late," Huffman said.
When we reached out to Tarantino properties on Wednesday regarding their next steps, they were not available for comment.
City court dates for Big Country Chateau are scheduled through April to address a few specific violations that date back to 2019. State and federal cases will later follow.