Renter says abandoned apartment in SW Houston led to roach infestation: 'This is no quality of life'

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Most of us can't imagine trying to sleep and having bugs crawl on us, but that's exactly what one woman living at a southwest Houston apartment complex says she's been dealing with for months.

"It's not just a roach problem. It's a full-blown infestation," Makeba Quinn explained.

Quinn said her next-door neighbors at The Heights at Post Oak moved out more than a year ago and left all their stuff behind. She said she never had a roach problem, but the issue started within a few months of the apartment next door being abandoned.

"Shortly after that, I began to see roaches, just a little bit here, a little bit there. I bought everything that I could think of," Quinn said.

Nothing worked, and despite several requests to the office for an exterminator to come out, the issue only got worse.

"I have been over to that office with tears in my eyes on so many occasions," Quinn said.

Fed up with living with the roaches for months, Quinn took it upon herself to call the Houston Housing Authority in late July. The abandoned apartment was quickly cleaned out.

As for her unanswered pleas to apartment management for an exterminator, ABC13 called them, and two days later, that exterminator showed up.

The infestation isn't going away overnight, but it is a step toward a more livable situation for this woman whose concerns shouldn't have been brushed off.

"People have a right to a quality of life, and this is no quality of life for me," Quinn said.

For more on Renters' Rights, follow Courtney Carpenter on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.