By John Boel
Published: Aug. 22, 2024 at 4:15 PM EDT
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - June 26 on Greentree Lane. Ann Kaelin had no water for a week with temperatures in the 90s.
“What do I do?” she said. “Where am I going to go? What am I going to do? I know I have to do something because I can’t live like this.”
She was told her landlord, Chris Webb of Relentless Holdings, got behind on the water bill. She said having her water shut off was a regular occurrence.
“I don’t have family to help me,” Kaelin said. “I do what I can to make things work. I guess it’s survival mode.”
A few weeks later on July 15 on East Orell Road it was 93 degrees outside. Chuck Hagan’s water and two other buildings were cut off.
“Tonight I’m going to have to fill up buckets and take water and pour it on top of my head,” Hagan said. “It’s ridiculous.”
Same landlord. Same explanation. While a Codes and Regulations officer posted violation notices on the buildings, it didn’t help Hagan. He said it’s happened multiple times and it’s about more than just running water.
“I got kids that come over and whenever the water’s not on, I don’t get them,” Hagan said. “I’m not going to bring them into a house where they can’t take a shower.”
Our relentless quest to talk to the man who runs Relentless Holdings finally ended when we found him at his home in a truck hooked up to, of all things, a giant water tank on a trailer.
“Hi are you Chris Webb?” I said. “Hi I’m John Boel with WAVE. I need to ask you some questions about what’s going on with these water bills with these people.”
“Last story you did, within 30 minutes of the water being disconnected, you all was out there,” Webb said. “Now, if someone’s water being shut off for 30 minutes is a news story.”
“I think it was really hot those days,” I said. “It was a big story to them.”
“Yeah well it seemed more like a planned head hunt to me,” Webb said. “Wasn’t about the tenants. The tenants had water shut off and within 30 minutes had news channels out there.”
“So you don’t think that’s a big deal on a hot day to have your water shut off?” I asked.
“Anytime a tenant is without water is a big deal to me,” Webb said.
He said the water bills were overflowing because of squatters.
“Well if a squatter moves into a property, the water company puts the service into our name, even though we didn’t request service,” Webb said. “So they’re running up large bills. Then we feel like we don’t sell water. So they’re not stealing the water from us. Because we run properties. So we’re already losing money on the rents, losing money in paying for damages that they’ve done.”
Through an open records request to Metro Government we’ve learned the city sent out a letter Aug. 7 to tenants, writing Relentless Holdings “has accrued more than $150,000 debt to the Louisville Water Company and MSD” and “Codes and Regulations has come to an agreement with the Louisville Water Company to pay for running water.. for 30 days.”
“After 30 days, if no agreement has been made to take over the monthly water bill, it is the intent of Codes and Regulations to issue an Order to Vacate.”
“I don’t know what the number is but it’s nowhere near a six figure number,” Webb said.
“This situation with this customer has gone on way too long,” Louisville Water Company’s Kelley Dearing Smith said. “Months and months and months and months. We have an obligation to collect payment for water and wastewater and when that doesn’t happen, we go out of our way to try to get payment. We set up meetings with this customer and they have not shown up. We’ve arranged staff just to monitor this account. We’ve sent multiple communications to this customer.”
“I can assure you there’s two sides to every story,” Webb said.
“That’s what I’m here for to get your side,” I said.
“Our side is pretty simple,” Webb said. “We’ve been talking and working with Louisville Water Company and whenever we couldn’t agree on something, they wanted to try and turn water off in places. If money is owed, just as we’ve done every other year, we’ll pay the money owed. But what we’re not going to continue to do is not going to get bullied. And this is bullying. We’re not going to get bullied by the Louisville Water Company.”
“We wanted to be up front with these folks,” Smith said. “We sent staff to several of the places. We delivered bottled water to help out. We want to do the right thing. And I feel horrible. These folks didn’t ask for this situation.”
The WAVE Troubleshooters also found Webb is being sued for $2.2 million in a foreclosure case involving several of his properties.
“Are you having other financial issues?” I asked. “ 2.2 million in foreclosures going on at some of your properties?”
“You know, the company is having some financial issues,” Webb said. “We’re not a company that doesn’t care what’s going on with their tenants. We’re a company worked very hard, grew a little too quick. And we grew the company because we care (about) our tenants. We’re not slumlords. We renovate all our properties.”
And as for the giant water tank at Webb’s home he said it’s for a pressure washer. Sources told us he’s even had the water cut off at his own home for not paying that bill. Here’s what he said when I asked him about that.
“I have had issues with water service at my home where there was a zero balance but I have had issues with water service at my home,” Webb said. “But we’re not without water today. Not without water today.”
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