More families without heat reach out to Channel 11 about property management group

PITTSBBURGH — A Channel 11 investigation into local homes without heat is growing.

We first told you on Monday about a single mom and her four kids, living in an apartment that hasn’t had heat since March!

Since then, Channel 11’s Amy Hudak heard from other tenants of the same property management group, Lynd, who also don’t have heat.

Mya Wade is scrounging up any money she can to move into a warm rental with her four kids. Her Bedford Avenue apartment was so cold on Tuesday, the thermostat wasn’t even registering a temperature - it just read “low.” Having nowhere else to turn and racking up $700/month electric bills from running space heaters, she reached out to Channel 11.

“It’s just me and my children,” Wade said. “I work two low-paying jobs to provide for us and it’s not enough. I’m doing the best I can.”

Darnella Murray lives on Bennett Street and has resorted to heating her home with her oven and space heaters.

“Having to keep the oven on, keeping the door to the oven open to get heat, putting towels under the doors,” Murray tells Channel 11.

They’re dangerous risks no family, especially with children, should have to resort to.

In April, Darnella said Peoples Gas red-tagged her furnace, saying for her family’s safety, it needed to be replaced.

Since then, Murray says the property management group, Lynd, hasn’t fixed or replaced it.

“Act like it’s you,” Murray said. “Like it’s your family, it’s your daughter, it’s your grandson.”

Murray says she even called the health department.

“When the Health Department lady came with her gun, it was registering that is was 23 degrees,” Murray said. “The Health Department fined them $13,000.”

Murray said she still didn’t get a furnace.

“That’s why I reached out to you,” Murray added. “I have seen over the years, Channel 11 seems to get things done for people.”

Both Murray and Wade are dealing with outrageous electrical bills.

“They’ve been $500, $600, $700, $800 a month,” Murray said.

And some nights, it has been so brutally cold, they had to pay for a hotel.

Lynd told Channel 11, they approved purchasing a furnace for Wade, but they haven’t provided a date or time when it will be installed.

Murray says this property management group needs to be investigated.

“Me and my son are humans in a house and it’s colder in here than it is outside sometimes and nothing happens to them,” Murray added.

Councilman Lavelle’s office is aware of this situation and is working with Code Enforcement.

We reached out to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. They tell Channel 11, their detectives will be reaching out to the families affected.

Lynd did not respond to our questions about additional tenants being without heat.

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