Dozens of families without water in Robbins; village says landlord is delinquent on water bills
ROBBINS, Ill. (CBS) -- Dozens of families in south suburban Robbins were without water Thursday.
According to a Robbins village spokesperson, the landlord of several apartment complexes owes $137,000 in water bills – all while collecting rent from his tenants with individual water bills calculated into their payments.
"These monies are collected by the current landlord who has been negligent in his obligation to pay the water bill for each individual unit of housing," the village spokesman wrote. "However, he continues to collect the rent payments monthly from his tenants."
The village said the landlord's "blatant irresponsibility" predates the current mayor's administration – and Mayor Darren E. Bryant has been sensitive to the needs of tenants and has not shut off the water during the winter months in the past.
"The administration has also made numerous documented and undocumented forms of communications with the landlord in effort to clear the debt, but to no avail," the village spokesman wrote. "The landlord has failed on numerous occasions to honor payment plans set forth by the Village of Robbins to rectify this matter."
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot spoke with a father who is fed up with the situation.
"Do what needs to be done, because regardless of what you have going on at this level, there are families living in this building," he said. "I have a baby. I have an 18-month-old. I have to find out how I'm going to bathe her. That's not fair."
A mother who is without water also said enough is enough.
"We still have no water. My kids have – when they get home from school, they can't shower, because they usually come home from school and get immediately in the shower before they get situated. They can't shower. You know, it's just ridiculous," she said. "And it's not the first time it has happened."
We reached out to the landlord of the apartment complexes for comment. A spokesperson said the Village of Robbins is overcharging on the water bill by $30,000.
