Living at 23247 W North Lakewood Lane was one of the worst rental experiences that my husband and I…read morehave ever had. The landlord, Luigui Corral, was consistently unresponsive, dismissive, and unwilling to take responsibility for even basic maintenance on HIS house, leaving us to live in unsafe and unacceptable conditions for three years.
Here are just some (not all) of the major issues that we faced:
1. SAFETY HAZARDS IGNORED: There were metal rods sticking out of the concrete in the backyard (from a previous garage demolition) that were left exposed for the entire time we lived there, despite us providing photos and repeated requests for them to be removed. Not only was this dangerous for us, but it was a major hazard for our dog. Nothing was ever done to fix this.
2. HOUSE FALLING APART: The siding around the whole house was falling off with visible holes leading into the house. Again, this was reported early on and never repaired. The gutters were also full of debris, which resulted in water draining improperly and the backyard flooding whenever it rained. Again, nothing was ever done to fix this issue.
3. NONFUNCTIONAL A/C & FURNACE: The AC and furnace were constant issues throughout the entire three years. The furnace continuously short-cycled. Sometimes, it would even stop working all together in the winter. We reported these issues multiple times, and were met with delays, empty promises, and occasional temporary fixes that never addressed the core problem. One winter, Luigui dropped off a space heater instead of addressing the major issue, which was that the furnace NEEDED to be replaced! We also had to ask many times for a return vent to be installed so that the AC could properly move throughout the rest of the house during the warmer months. Still, the temperature was never consistent or comfortable at any point while we lived there.
4. LEAKING WASHER/DRYER NIGHTMARE: The combined washer/dryer that came with the rental was leaking and never worked properly. Despite us arranging repairs, the landlord refused to replace it, stating that a washer/dryer was simply a "convenience" for us and not his responsibility. After months of useless service appointments and scheduling chaos (including FIVE reschedules for one part), we ended up buying our own machine, out of pocket, and were only given a minimal rent deduction of $60 per month.
5. NOT A FENCED-IN BACKYARD: This property was advertised as a "fenced-in backyard", however, the fence surrounding the house was consistently hanging on by a thread. At one point, the fence did fall, and he refused to fix it, stating that the fence didn't belong to him. Most of the fence was being held up by wooden slabs leftover from construction. Also, the gate that was near the front of the house rotted and broke, and we had to remove it ourselves. This was disappointing, because we wanted to utilize the backyard to play with our dog. However, we never really got to do that due to the quality of the fence and the gate falling apart.
6. APPLIANCES & REPAIRS PAID BY TENANTS: We paid for most of the appliance repairs ourselves, including the fridge, A/C, furnace, dishwasher, oven, and even electrical fixes after the landlord's contractor made dangerous mistakes. One time, the tankless water heater clogged because it hadn't been serviced since 2018. We informed Luigui about this, and let him know that it was preventing us from having hot water. He claimed the water heater was our responsibility, leaving us without hot water for days. He finally agreed to have someone come drain it, but only after we offered to pay for half of it ourselves. Even though appliances were strategically put as a "tenant responsibility" in our lease, we would have NEVER signed it if we realized that we were responsible for all of the appliances in a house that we didn't even own.
7. NO CO2 DETECTORS OR FIRE DETECTORS: The house never had CO2 detectors installed! Luigui only purchased them AFTER we were concerned about a CO2 leak and had the fire department come out and check the house. They also let us know while we were there that the fire detectors were dead/expired and doing nothing to protect us from a potential fire.
8. COMMUNICATION FAILURE: Every repair request was met with excuses, long wait times, or outright neglect. Getting anything approved took days, weeks, or months. We never felt like we could reach out to him, because he always responded to us like we were a burden. It was such a relief to move out in June and block his number from our phones for good!
Despite everything, we paid rent every month on time. In return, we lived in a property with broken appliances, structural hazards, electrical risks, poor heating and cooling, and minimal concern for our comfort or safety. Do yourself a favor, and find literally anyone else to rent or buy from. Living here was a lesson in how bad things can get when a landlord simply doesn't care.
