DEBBIE'S REALTY INC

My fiance and I moved into Hamilton Apartments located at 662 Deltona Blvd in Deltona, Florida on February 23rd. We had no choice but to move out TWO DAYS later. As shown in the photo provided, the building is infested with roaches (roaches I killed and collected in apartment within two days). We were originally excited to move into the apartment, but it very quickly turned into a nightmare for us. The moment we moved in...the AC did not work, we saw german roaches crawling up the walls, and across the kitchen counters, there were broken windows (code violation), broken ceiling fans, and a neighbor showed us where there was water damage on the ceiling and the "maintenance" man, Jim, painted over it to cover it. The window blinds were disgusting with splattered liquid on them and dried up flies. The floors were dirty and nothing was cleaned before we moved in. I found roach feces in the pantry, in kitchen drawers, and under cabinets. Also, a nearby tenant brought to our attention that the previous tenants smoked in the apartment and in the hall. When we looked at the apartment the first time, we did not notice any of these issues until after we moved in. We were told the apartment would be sprayed for bugs and it would be cleaned before our move in date. The owner had TWO WEEKS to get the apartment ready for us... Debbie Hamilton (owner), was not happy that WE were UNHAPPY about the living conditions. It was very apparent that she did not want anyone living there that would complain. I am 20 weeks pregnant and when my fiance and I complained to her about the roaches, she told us to 'just go buy some bombs and bomb it' which is not safe for our growing baby. When we complained about the AC, she told us to 'just go buy some floor fans until it can be repaired'! We know that it is very important to always document issues such as these. I was in constant contact with the owner via text, providing proof of the issues to her with photos. Debbie did not want to text me, she became very upset that I would not speak with her over the phone... We had red flags about the owner from the beginning, but put them aside. When we first looked at the apartment, a roach had crawled across a door. She then mentioned she would provide the contact number for the pest control company if we had issues when we moved in and we could just call them to come out ourselves. We found that odd, considering roaches shouldn't be an issue when you are looking for a place to live, and this was mentioned as if it were a constant issue. Looking back, we now realize that she is aware of the infestation and knew that the apartment would constantly have to be sprayed and she would give us the number for the pest company so that she didn't have to call them all the time for us. SAME THING with the AC. After speaking with several of the tenants, it seems that we were not alone. Several other tenants have had similar issues and complaints about the building AND with the owner, Debbie Hamilton specifically. We were told that tenants are tired of the drug dealing in the building and they are looking to move. We personally witnessed several drug deals within our short time there. Whether the issues were fixable or not, once the owner disrespected us, by telling us that she didn't want complainers and that we can pack our stuff and move out....it left a bad taste in our mouths and we decided we were definitely leaving at that point. Unfortunately, after telling her that we will report her to the Health Department, HUD, and the BBB. She then decided she would refund all of our money. Her 'maintenance' man, Jim, told us we couldn't report her, and then blamed us for the broken window. Well, we have reported her. It was brought to our attention that Debbie has had legal issues with tenants in the past. This is why she does not text tenants and will only speak to tenants over the phone, but we knew better. The owner claims to be in business for 30 years. Why is there no reviews, no website, or acknowledgements about her or her business? This is another RED FLAG.