Searchlight New Mexico

Alyssa Harper has a specific pair of rain boots for those school-day mornings when she and her children wade through untreated sewage on the way to their car.

Outside her family’s unit at the Mont 44 apartment complex in Albuquerque, the hazardous liquid soaks into the doormat and forms a puddle in the parking lot. Inside — bubbling up from the toilet, bathtub and kitchen sink — it pools ankle-deep.

“When it first started, it only happened when it would rain,” Harper said. “Now it’s to the point where I haven’t been able to use my bathroom, take a shower or do anything water-wise for the last three weeks.”

She is one of many tenants at the Northeast Heights complex who have complained of a yearslong pattern of what several describe as severe — and sometimes physically harmful — maintenance issues that have gone unaddressed by management.

Such maintenance and security problems at rental properties are not uncommon. But about 90 Mont 44 tenants have taken action to change their situation — they formed a tenant union and pressed for changes. Their efforts, with the help of nonprofit organization OLÉ, led to the inspection Saturday of dozens of units by the Albuquerque Code Enforcement Division.

A report, set to be complete later this week, could lead to hundreds of dollars in fines for each violation.

“We are unionized now, we hit majority, and with that being said, we’re a lot more powerful than just being one person,” Harper said.

The income-limited Mont 44 — which features studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging in price from $815 to $3,197 monthly, according to the floor plans listed on its website — made the city of Albuquerque’s “Out-of-State Lazy Landlords List” earlier this summer. The list, released shortly after the city enacted a Rental Unit Habitability Enforcement Ordinance, seeks to hold housing property owners accountable for repeated code violations and unsafe conditions.

The measure outlines timelines for property owners or managers to resolve violations of the city’s Uniform Housing Code — and financial penalties for those who receive three or more violations within a 12-month period.

“Since the rent gets paid, the repairs must get made, it’s that simple,” Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said in a July statement. “Most landlords take care of their properties, but this law focuses on the repeat offenders who collect rent while families live without heat, cooling, running water, or other basics. If you profit from rental units in our City, you are responsible for the people living in them.”

The so-called Lazy Landlords List notes Mont 44 has faced 62 verified complaints and seven open violations of the Uniform Housing Code. The city links the apartment complex’s ownership to an address in Mission Viejo, Calif.; an investment company located at that address did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

A spokesperson for Denver-based property management company Laramar, which runs Mont 44, also did not return a call seeking comment.

‘We were lied to’

Harper, whose children are 3, 7 and 11, said her unit’s sewage issues date back years — but they escalated beginning in 2024. Her 7-year-old daughter is “terrified” to use the bathroom, she said, and there was a time when she would cry when she needed to use it.

“I’m constantly concerned about their health, because, I mean, it’s a biohazard,” Harper said. “I don’t know what diseases are in there, and they say it’s professionally being cleaned … and sanitized, but that’s only happened like a quarter of the time that it has had overflow.”

Mont 44 management has offered little explanation for the ongoing sewage backups, she said, though one plumber who used a pipe inspection camera told her the pipes needed to be replaced. 

The complex recently gave her a key to a vacant apartment to use its shower and sinks, but the first time she visited the unit, she said, she found someone had been squatting there.

Tenants have repeatedly raised concerns about widespread squatting and security issues at the complex, which is on Montgomery Boulevard near Lovelace Women’s Hospital.

Katelyn Chavez, who has lived at Mont 44 for seven months, said she was promised 24/7 security when she moved in with her husband and four young children. She has only seen security personnel once, she said.

“It’s frustrating,” Chavez said. “We were lied to, and we’re paying quite a bit of money every month. I feel like 24-hour security is not a big ask, especially when they see that people are dealing with getting assaulted and there’s squatters doing drugs.”

Chavez has also been dealing with a worsening ant infestation since she moved in. She quickly learned her daughter was allergic to the ant bites. Property managers told her maintenance personnel could only spray insecticide once per month, she said.

Once, her daughter’s bed was covered in ants, leading to an emergency room visit and a rash that has lingered for the past four months, Chavez said.

“It makes us feel like we’re nothing; we’re just money to these people,” Chavez said. “And that’s truly how it feels, because they’re still collecting our rent checks — they’re still taking our rent, but they’re refusing to fix our problems.”

Jeremy Villarreal — who has lived at Mont 44 for five years — said he has stopped going to management about unaddressed work orders. He has had problems with his air conditioning since 2023, he said, despite numerous requests to have it fixed.

“It’s like they prioritize,” Villarreal said. “The major ones, they kick to the end of the list and take care of the simple ones.”

When temperatures in Albuquerque swelled well into the 90s this summer, Villarreal “broke down” and bought a portable air conditioning unit, he said. His most recent work order has been pending since April.

Union’s next steps

Villarreal has attended tenant union organizing trainings since the Mont 44 tenants unionized in May, he said. The group has composed a list of demands and served the property management company with a petition.

The property has seen several management changes over the years, Villarreal added, and at one point was run by Greystar — a national corporation that has faced lawsuits in several states alleging hidden fees, artificial market rate inflation and other complaints.

Laramar took over around June and has vowed to solve some of the problems tenants have raised, Villarreal said.

Union members hope to obtain a supermajority before they try to approach the bargaining table with Mont 44 management, OLÉ spokesperson Leila Salim said.

In the meantime, the complex could face civil fines with any code violations outlined in the city code enforcement report this week. A first violation of Albuquerque’s Uniform Housing Code leads to a $200 fine, while a second violation leads to a $300 fine, and a third or subsequent violation would lead to a $500 fine.

“We want these folks to find their power and be able to get to the point where they are able to negotiate with their landlord and get what they want and need,” Salim said, “and to get to the point of being able to get dignified housing for their rent.”

Lily Alexander is a state accountability reporter for The New Mexican and Searchlight New Mexico, focusing on equity and transparency. Her position is part of the New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund, and her stories are available to all readers without a paywall.