‘I’m having nightmares’: Mom frustrated over apartment complex handling termite infestation

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC/Gray News) - A Georgia mother says she’s desperate for help after moving into an apartment that has become infested with termites.

According to Brittany Scott, she’s lived at the Waters at Gateway complex for about six months, but first noticed the bugs in early February, with the problem getting worse.

“When I go to sleep, I’m having nightmares about this termite situation,” she said.

Scott shared that termites are spreading from room to room, and she believes attempts to address the issue haven’t solved the larger problem.

“They’re putting a bandage over it, they’re not trying to rectify the situation in a whole,” she said.

Scott says Orkin pest control came out to treat the apartment, but claims the termites continued to multiply.

The apartment renter says her daughter has woken up to thousands of termites in her bedroom.

“My daughter wakes up and there are thousands in her bedroom, on her bed, on her wall, on her dresser, everywhere in her room,” Scott said.

Scott also says pest control told her they had responded to similar termite problems in other buildings at the complex.

“He said that, yeah, I’ve been out here a few other times this week for termites in different buildings,” she said.

Scott also claims her apartment was fumigated while her family was still inside.

“My children, and my husband, and I were in there, and they sprayed this chemical. He had on a mask. We didn’t have any masks on,” she said.

Scott says she has tried multiple avenues for help, including contacting city officials. She says she’s asking to be moved into another apartment that is clean and safe for her family.

“I would like them to move with urgency if it were their home,” Scott said.

District 5 Alderwoman, Dr. Estella Shabazz, called the situation unacceptable and said that the apartment complex needs to make things right now.

Additionally, Shabazz spoke with code enforcement on Monday, saying they performed an inspection and issued a notice of summons for the infestation.

“They contacted the property, the property agents or owners, and they were non-responsive to our code enforcement,” Shabazz said. “When they were non-responsive, this is when our code enforcement issued the summons to the courts because of the terrible and non-livable condition of the apartment that is infested with termites.”

Representatives with the Waters at Gateway complex did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the situation.

In 2024, Georgia lawmakers passed a bill called the Safe at Home Act, which requires landlords to keep rental spaces in good repair and livable standards. Tenants can contact their city’s code enforcement office to look into concerns.