Another intense period of summer heat is hitting a Tennessee apartment complex where residents say dependable air conditioning is still not available, highlighting how dangerous hot weather can become when renters cannot count on cooling at home, WZTV reported.
What's happening?
Residents at Bellevue West Apartments in Bellevue said the AC problems have stretched on for weeks, and one tenant said his has lasted for months.
For Bellevue West resident Breland Burum, most of the apartment is effectively unusable: he told WZTV that a portable unit kept his bedroom livable during Tuesday's scorching temperatures, but the rest of the space remained too hot to use normally.
He said his unit's air conditioning has not functioned since he first moved in, in May.
"Haven't had AC for the past two months," Burum remarked.
He said repeated outreach — to the city's help center, code officials, and the property manager — still has not led to a solution.
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"I've contacted HUB Nashville, and I've contacted codes, and contacted the property manager, and they just said, 'there's nothing we can do,'" Burum explained.
Two weeks earlier, another resident, Daya Key, had described much the same situation, WZTV reported.
"Horrible," was how Key described the conditions. "I can't function. I'm sweating all the time."
Neither Bellevue West nor property management company Geringer Capital responded to the outlet's follow-up request for comment.
Why does it matter?
A lack of air conditioning during a heat wave is more than an inconvenience.
It can make it difficult to sleep, cook, work, and recover indoors, while also increasing the risk of heat-related illness — especially for older adults, children, and people with underlying health conditions.
Burum stated that the heat has changed the way he lives in his own apartment.
"It's just too hot," he said.
As a chef, Burum told WZTV that he cannot cook in his own kitchen.
Many renters have limited control over the conditions in which they live.
Across the country, landlords have been known to prevent renters from adopting money-saving lifestyle changes that could help them cope with rising costs and hotter weather, including gardening and hanging clotheslines to dry laundry.
When tenants cannot make simple changes, cannot easily move, and cannot get major repairs addressed quickly, extreme heat becomes both a health issue and a financial one.
Burum said leaving would cost "upwards of $3,000," putting him in a difficult position many renters know well.
What can I do?
Burum sought help through local government contacts and property management, while Key temporarily stayed with family after management refused to fix her unit's air conditioning.
For residents hoping to work with landlords or housing associations on broader rule changes — including policies around gardens, shade improvements, or clotheslines — TCD's HOA guide offers a starting point for changing outdated bylaws.
"It's just too hot," Burum lamented. "Fix the AC issue because it's not only me. There are hundreds of people on this property who don't have AC."
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