Water trickles down a wall near an electrical outlet every time it rains inside Giovani Cisneros's apartment at Villa Alegre on Edgemere Boulevard in East El Paso. He keeps a plastic tub nearby to catch it, a makeshift fix for a problem he says he has been reporting for two years without any repairs. He is not alone — residents across the complex describe more than a year of water leaks and maintenance requests that have gone nowhere.
According to KFOX14/CBS4, Villa Alegre residents say they have been living with ongoing water leaks and unresolved maintenance problems for more than a year, and many believe the conditions are putting their health and safety at risk. Tenant Elda Duran told the station that water leaks in her unit have persisted for over a year and that she believes there is mold growing inside her apartment.
A Smell She Cannot Shake and Calls That Go Unanswered
Duran said her unit carries an odor she cannot stand. “There's a smell that I just don't like. I always call the emergency number,” she said, per the same report. She said that despite repeated calls, nobody from management has ever come. “I always call the emergency number but no they never show up they never come,” Duran said.
She also said the leaking intensifies with every storm. “When it rains, it starts leaking,” Duran said. Asked whether management offers help when residents raise these issues, her answer was blunt: “No, no, they don't.” The station's report notes that other Villa Alegre residents say they have made multiple calls to management about problems in their units, but the issues remain unresolved.
Rainwater Running Near an Outlet, Two Years of Complaints
For Cisneros, the danger feels more immediate. He told KFOX14/CBS4 that water leaks from his ceiling when it rains and runs down a wall near an electrical outlet, a combination that worries him given the age of his daughters. “We have two little girls and that worries us, we are scared they will go near the electrical outlet,” Cisneros said.
He said the problem is not new. “Its been two years of me putting in complaints,” Cisneros said, describing a cycle of reporting the leak without seeing it fixed. He showed the outlet where water pools nearby, along with water damage visible on his walls, and the plastic tub he relies on to keep rainwater from spreading further into his apartment.
Management Company Has Not Responded
Envolve, the company identified as managing Villa Alegre, was contacted by KFOX14/CBS4 for comment on the tenants' allegations but had not responded at the time of publication. That leaves the residents' accounts of leaks, suspected mold and unanswered emergency calls unaddressed by the company that oversees the property.
Texas law sets out some protections for tenants facing unresolved repair issues, though the scope varies by circumstance. Under one provision in the Texas Property Code, a dwelling must be free from any condition that would materially affect the physical health or safety of an ordinary tenant at the start of a lease term in certain single-dwelling-landlord situations. The City of El Paso's code enforcement division describes its role as upholding minimum maintenance standards so that properties remain safe, sanitary and fit for occupation.
For now, residents like Duran and Cisneros say they are left managing the leaks on their own — watching the weather, placing tubs near outlets, and waiting for calls to be answered.
