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The 80-year-old whistleblower received a sudden notice for her and her dog to vacate their home of 25 years with no explanation after Schweb Management took over Quincy Village apartments in Bladensburg in March 2022.
"They stripped me of everything. I've been a good tenant and they took all my memories of my sisters, my good memories, and I can never get that back. I can never get back what they did to me emotionally or physically", says the anonymous tenant, fearful that revealing her identity may lead to retaliation.
"You do everything right, you pay your rent on time, you don't have any issues, you're a good tenant, and it doesn't really mean much," the woman continued. "They robbed me of a lifetime of memories".
Schweb Management previously made headlines in July after nearly 50 families in Laurel went on a rent strike due to the company dismissing issues, raising rent, and adding additional fees with short notice. Now, the residents in the Bladensburg apartment complex, including the elderly tenant, say the company is doing the same to them.
The whistleblower's situation was brought to the attention of Bladensburg officials during a community meeting held after the company shut off the residents' water supply without notice or explanation on one of the hottest days of the year, stated Council Member Jocelyn Route.
Route and other Bladensburg officials, including local deputies, organized the meeting at the complex to address questions and concerns about the living conditions at the Schweb Management property. When the residents were asked about their experiences, the 80-year-old quietly rose her hand to tell her heartbreaking story, bringing several Council and community members to tears.
On Tuesday, May 24, the anonymous tenant received her notice to vacate the property by July 31. Immediately after receiving the notice, her grandson contacted the property management company to ask for an explanation. Rental office officials asked her grandson if his grandmother had ever been late on a payment, or had missed payments, and he explained that she had not.
The office then told her grandson to disregard the letter, and that vacate notices were only sent to those with a history of payment issues.
For months, the woman and her family worked tirelessly to get the management company to provide proof in writing that the 80-year-old would not lose her home of over two decades, but the company never followed through. No answers were given, only assurance to disregard the letter if there was no issue with rent payments.
On the third week of July, still without a solid answer or written proof that the woman was safe to stay in her home, her grandson made a final attempt to contact the company. Schweb Management claimed to have no documentation of the vacate notice and that they would get back to her or her family shortly with an explanation.
Days later, the 80-year-old was notified that she had to be out of the only home she had known for over 25 years, that week.
"If I didn't show you this letter, how would you know she was supposed to be gone?" her grandson recalled asking Schweb Management.
Schweb Management explained to the family that the reason for the notice was a plan to renovate the unit and raise the rent, which they could not do with her living there.
With nowhere else to go, the 80-year-old called her daughter, who made space for her and her dog on her couch.
After hearing the woman's story, Route and others became "outraged" with the actions, or lack thereof, that the company has taken toward the community's long-standing residents, and pleaded with Schweb Management to figure out a compromise to allow residents like her to return to the only home she has known for the last two decades.
"We want the community to understand how aggressive companies like Schweb Management are", said Route.
Schweb Management then reportedly decided to allow residents like the elderly woman to return, but for nearly double the rent she had been paying for the same apartment she was in after they planned to add amenities like a washer and dryer that to this day have still not been installed in the apartment.
The suddenly increased cost just to ensure a roof over the retiree's head leaves her with next to nothing every month as she is on a fixed income like many long-time residents in the complex.
"After charging me for rent, gas, electric, and a water bill, I have nothing left to do anything with. If my children don't volunteer for food...", the retiree said as she choked back tears. "I would have been on the street if I didn't have family to take me in. I am a human being and I pay my rent and they robbed me of a lifetime of memories".
With wait lists for senior living facilities at least a year-long, and nowhere else to go long-term, the retiree reluctantly decided to return to the apartment that "no longer felt like home", leaving her feeling hopeless yet again when the company slammed her with a security deposit her family was assured would be waived.
Upon hearing of the issue of the security deposit, an outraged Route worked together with the County to come up with the funds to cover the retiree's deposits so she could move back into the complex.
"They did not care", said Route as she explained the company's back and forth treatment toward their loyal tenants.
Since the takeover, residents' issues have been increasingly dismissed, with tenants quickly realizing that none of Schweb Management's actions were making sense. Random selections of residents were getting vacate notices, water bills were added some months but not others, letters were told to be disregarded, and rental rates were going up at a different rate for everyone with no answers behind why.
"It's all over the place", said resident Daina Shephard about the added and confusing costs.
The problem Schweb Management's takeover has created has forced several residents to either accept the payment, or to be forced out on the street.
"It's created distrust and anger between the residents and the property management company", said yet another resident, Angelica Felix.
Together, the Quincy Village community and City have worked to come up with solutions, hoping their voices will be heard so injustices against loyal and responsible residents, especially those that are underprivileged or elderly can be heard by Schweb Management and similar companies.
"I decided to speak out because there's a lot of seniors out there that may not know what to do or what rights they have, so maybe this will help another person," said the elderly whistleblower, showing gratitude toward the town that helped make her voice heard. "I want to say thank you to Miss Route, Miss Nicky, Miss Garcia. I want them to know how thankful I am because I just don't want this to happen to another person. It's devastating. It's taken so much out of my life".
Bladensburg officials are planning on contacting state legislators to design a bill to help slow or halt the sudden inflation of rates caused by landlords and property management companies.
To contact Council Member Jocelyn Route for information on how to help residents like those at Quincy Village or to get involved, please call her office at 301-927-7048, or send an email to jroute@bladensburgmd.gov.
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