RICHMOND, Va. — Corey Goss moved to 3600 West Broad Street Apartments two years ago and enjoyed his first year in his Scott’s Addition unit.
“I was renting from one of their properties in Manchester, and [the property manager] was like, ‘Yeah, we can get you in here,'” he said. “It was great. First year was awesome.”
But 2025 was different when he said he experienced persistent HVAC issues and made seven different maintenance requests for repairs.
“When they did fix it, it'd be like two or three weeks later and then it'll break again,” Goss said. “In the wintertime, it would be literally three degrees outside, and our heat would go out. Then in the summertime, during the extreme weather, when we had the heat waves and things like that, we'd have no air conditioning.”
The building is owned by PMC Property Group, Inc. based in Philadelphia and manages developments in Columbia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Goss said his and some of his neighbors’ heat on the 5th floor went out most recently at the end of January and he submitted a maintenance request to the property on Feb. 1. Property management provided the tenants with space heaters as they worked on a solution.
When the heat didn’t come back on, Goss turned to Richmond City Code Enforcement for help on February 12.
Documents obtained by CBS 6 showed the inspector issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) the next day after speaking with a maintenance man “who said they have had issues on this floor with the heating.”
Records said PMC repaired the heat in Goss’ apartment on Feb. 17, 16 days after his first documented request.
The documents showed Goss’ heat came back on the day the inspector threatened to condemn the unit and require the management to find the tenant other living arrangements.
The inspector wrote that temperatures inside an apartment must be at least 68 degrees. They said each unit is independently heated and cooled, but when one unit goes out, it can affect several other units.
PMC’s executive vice president, Daniel Rothschild, said in a statement that supply chain issues receiving necessary replacement parts delayed repairs during “unusually severe cold weather.”
“Throughout these challenges, our team worked directly with residents who were impacted to address their individual concerns and help support them however we could. We understand how difficult and frustrating these conditions were, and we take full responsibility for responding to and resolving issues within the building as quickly and effectively as possible,” he wrote. “While the repairs took longer than anyone would have wanted, our team remained actively engaged throughout the process and worked continuously toward a resolution.”
Rothschild said the HVAC system is now functioning properly. However, Goss and other tenants tell CBS 6 that their air conditioning went out last week, which has since been repaired.
“We care deeply about our residents and their experience in our communities, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe, reliable, and comfortable living environment for all tenants,” the statement said.
An inspection report showed the city issued another NOV on Feb. 2 for a different apartment with a malfunctioning HVAC unit.
“On 1/28/26 at 12:54p, the citizen reported no heat for a few days, they were given space heaters, but they aren’t working as expected,” the case records said and the property manager told the inspector the entire 2nd floor was without heat. The property was found in compliance for this case on Feb. 6.
The city issued a third citation for HVAC issues for another unit on March 3 and was found in compliance three days later, the document said.
In a separate matter, a citation was issued at 3600 West Broad Street for an inoperable elevator on April 14. Residents told CBS 6 that the elevator was working again this week, and another inspection is due May 19.
Online property records showed the building was built in 1955. The building served primarily as offices for the Virginia Department of Taxation before PMC purchased it in September 2011.
Janae Craddock, an attorney working in housing with the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said some tenants prefer to stay in a unit despite issues rather than the city condemn their home and force them out.
“If you're going to provide housing, you have an obligation to make sure that it's habitable,” she said. “But also just understand that you do have rights.”
Virginia code says a tenant must first provide written notice to a landlord of an issue, like no heat, no running water, or an infestation, and give the landlord a "reasonable opportunity" to make repairs (in some cases up to 30 days).
After that time, the resident can file a Tenant’s Assertion in General District Court if they are current on rent. A judge could decide to terminate the lease.
Do not withhold rent unless directed by a judge or it could lead to an eviction.
Craddock advises tenants to reach out to local code enforcement or the Virginia Poverty Law Center for advice.
Click here for additional information.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
