When Jackie and Karis Long’s rental house was damaged from a severe water leak caused by the HVAC condensation line, they expected their landlord, the national real estate investment company American Homes 4 Rent, to repair the damage in a timely manner.
Instead, they got months of headaches, arguments with their property manager and an eviction on their record after withholding rent in protest of the company’s failure to fix potentially dangerous problems with the home.
The problems with the property and the failure on the part of American Homes 4 Rent, which is also known as AMH, to repair damages, is an example of a constructive eviction. That’s the term when a landlord interferes with the tenant’s use and enjoyment of the premises, either through action or failure to act to resolve a problem.
The Longs are not the only Oklahoma family to be evicted by national or out-of-state landlords. According to a 2024 report by Mental Health Association Oklahoma, 36% of evictions in 2023 were filed by out-of-state landlords, the most recent data available.
During the nine months the Longs lived in the rental house, problems piled up. The leak was the precursor for the next several months: it caused a gaping hole in the wall and ruined carpeting that had to be removed, leaving the concrete subfloor exposed and baseboards with nails protruding.
The repairs took months, creating a hazard for Jackie and Karis Long’s three children.
The Long Eviction
In August, an eviction was filed against the Longs.
AMH said that the Longs were $3,792.58 in arrears, plus court fees.
The company wanted the two months’ rent, despite not having fixed potentially dangerous defects. In Oklahoma, tenants cannot withhold rent, even if the landlord fails to repair the property.
“How are you going to do that when there are repairs to be made?” Karis Long asked, rhetorically.
The Longs paid the amount due, not yet ready to leave the home and upend their children’s lives.
Oklahoma Watch attempted to contact AMH for this story, but did not receive a response.
Rupert’s Report
Work orders continued to collect dust, and junk fees were piling up, leading the Longs to hire Ian Rupert, a Midwest City-based public adjuster, who prepared a detailed report of the damages.
Rupert found:
- Missing base trim in the living room, hallway and entry closet, which was from damage caused by the HVAC water leak months ago.
- The bookcase, which was also damaged by the HVAC water leak, had been replaced but left with unacceptably large gaps and missing trim.
- Water leak and damage under the kitchen sink disposal.
- Rusted and broken dishwasher racks.
- The wooden ladder leading to the attic was severely cracked at critical brackets.
- Large gaps and drainage holes under the rear patio foundation presented a serious safety hazard, especially for young children.
- HVAC ductwork was not adequately sealed and has large holes and gaps, a serious safety issue and contamination hazard. Rupert’s report also said this was a contributor to excessive utility usage.
- The A/C outside unit was installed in a way that it was smashed against the dryer ventilation, a serious fire hazard.
- Dryer lint had been sucked into the A/C outside unit, another fire hazard.
- The water heater and its components had insufficient clearance and were in close proximity to combustibles, creating another fire hazard.
- The water heater flue was not properly aligned and may be actively allowing unsafe gases to escape into the air intake.
- The water heater flue is smashed into an attic flue and is in contact with plumbing lines.
- The house was missing a monoxide detector, which the lease claims to provide.
- The master shower was leaking water and had caused water damage to the carpet, tack strips and trim.
Rupert said he typically works for property owners for insurance purposes and conducts many damage inspections. He’s also a landlord.
“I’ve been involved in so many different types of disputes, and I don’t take anybody at face value when I’m looking at something,” Rupert said. “I want to make my own opinion. Part of that is not only hearing them out, but getting facts I can verify.”
After meeting with the family and gathering the facts, Rupert’s conclusion was clear: this property was barely habitable.
“Tenants sometimes have an unrealistic expectation of how things are supposed to go, and then sometimes the landlords take way too long, but normally people work it out,” Rupert said. “I could tell this was definitely not a worked-out situation. They (AMH) have kept them (the Longs) in like a pressure box.”
Long said the pressure of staying in that home was weighing on her, and the condition the property was left in caused a rash to swell on her face, which she said was due to mold in the property.
Rupert said that not all mold is toxic, but that a thorough inspection is warranted because of the water leaks throughout the property. He said as a landlord, he would not have a tenant there until an inspection was done.
“That place is a wreck,” Rupert said. “I would not have a tenant living there. There is a tremendous amount of deferred maintenance.”
Long Road Ahead
Long said that at first, she was gaslighting herself into thinking the uninhabitable conditions weren’t a big deal. After Rupert’s analysis, she felt affirmed and said the damage to the home was threatening to the family’s safety, especially when she considered her three boys, who are three, four and 13 years old. She also realized that their home address would be readily available through the permanent, public eviction record, something she considered a safety risk because her husband is an Oklahoma City police officer.
That led the family to seek other housing.
When they notified AMH that they were leaving, AMH attempted to get the family to sign a non-disclosure agreement and later tacked on a $154 rent charge for March, after the family had already paid rent.
“The company literally doesn’t care about anybody but a dime,” Karis Long said.
The Long’s refused to sign the NDA.
Children facing an eviction in Oklahoma are more likely to have poor academic performance, according to data from the Mental Health Association Oklahoma. Additionally, previous Oklahoma Watch reporting found that housing instability in children hurts academic outcomes. An Eviction Lab report revealed that eviction-led school transfers disrupted schooling, contributing to academic harm.
These effects are already harming the Long family, who were unable to enroll their three-year-old in pre-k because they missed the enrollment window, as they did not yet have a lease for their new home.
It is even more damaging to their 13-year-old, who has Down syndrome.
“When stability goes away, when routine goes away, behaviors begin,” Karis Long said. “Because that’s how he processes. That’s how he protects himself.”
Their 13-year-old is now having to leave a school district where he had an agreed-upon plan set up to ensure his academic success, and go to a new district entirely. One with new teachers, new students, a new environment and a new home. A change that no one in the family was expecting, but one that Long said will be particularly difficult for him to adjust to.
The Longs found a new rental property with a local landlord and felt secure in their decision.
“So, on Saturday, our A/C unit wasn’t keeping up, we contacted them, and then yesterday the A/C guy came out, and today he is putting a new unit in,” Long said. “That’s how a landlord should do things.”
Their new landlord is a stark contrast to AMH, which took months for repairs or never made them.
“When we had to text them (the landlord) on Saturday and tell them about the A/C unit having issues, I almost went into a full panic attack,” Long said. “When you spend so long being told that you don’t matter by your landlord. That repairs don’t matter, your home doesn’t matter, your family’s safety doesn’t matter. That mindset almost gets stuck, and then you get scared to even ask for help.”
Long said this new property is a step forward for them, and that she thanks a higher power for bringing her family into this new home.
“God has really provided with this new home,” she said.
Finding The Next Tenant
In his report, Rupert said the lessor should immediately undertake a comprehensive, professional home inspection. Noting that failure to promptly engage any of the areas of concern may lead to serious damage or injury.
Oklahoma Watch visited the property on March 20, and the concerns raised by Rupert’s report remained.
On that day, the Longs were still in the process of moving out, but AMH had already placed a lockbox on the door and a sign in the yard promoting the three-bedroom, two-bath, 1,900-square-foot home, which was advertised for $1,835 per month plus fees.
“There is no way they’re going to finish repairs in two weeks,” Rupert said. “That place needs a complete thorough inspection.”
Rupert acknowledged that the rent was below market rate, but because of the constructive eviction, the Long family will incur higher rates.
Rupert said if he were the landlord, he would prorate the rent until repairs were complete.
“The tenant needs to be compensated,” Rupert said. “It impacts their lives.”
Karis Long lamented the ordeal.
“At the end of the day, we’ve lost a lot,” Long said. “I so desperately don’t want someone else to go through this.”
