KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – One particular rental company could be in hot water after several Knoxville residents argued the company failed to comply with federal regulations.
Several people have called our newsroom regarding this case. One former tenant says she now has to live out of a hotel after she says the company evicted her unfairly.
Breyauna Holloway is a mother of five and has lived in Knoxville practically her entire life.
“I lived in the house in Mechanicsville since the fall of 2015 and then we were fraudulently evicted in December of 2022,” She said.
Holloway is heavily involved with several community groups.
“I’m currently the city of Knoxville’s Sixth District Neighborhood Advisory Council representative,” she said. “I also do some volunteer work here with Safe Haven, The Alliance House, I’m a member of the University of Tennessee’s Black Alumni Council.”
Two years ago, while she was working to help others through these organizations when she found herself in a tough situation.
“I had fallen behind on my rent in the fall of 2021. That’s how long this issue has been going on. So we went to eviction court in September,” Holloway said. “I had caught up on my rent pretty much before we got to court. They agreed to let me stay in the home as long as I agreed to pay my rent on time.”
She said as soon as that process was over she went to the Knox Housing Assistance Board to apply for rent and utility assistance.
“The money for my rent which was paid for December 21 through March of 2022 was direct deposited to Stevens Realty, which was my landlord on December 8th. The next day, December the 9th, Stevens Realty issued an eviction notice to me and filed a detainer warrant in Knox County Civil Court to evict me from the home.”
Documentation provided by Holloway from Knox County’s Grants and Community Development Department asserts Stevens Realty failed to comply with several federal regulations including KHA payments not credited to her tenant account, the company charged excessive late fees, and that they filed for eviction prior to 30 days past the dates covered by an assistance payment.
We received a statement from Knox County stating that they have, “been in contact with a tenant and the realty company and the company’s attorney, and we hope the matter will be resolved soon.”
In the meantime, Holloway said she lives in a hotel and has to go back to court in the next 60 days to try to get the matter resolved.
A request for comment from Stevens Realty had not been returned at the time of airing.