‘You got something done:’ Richmond woman gets results after partial apartment ceiling collapse

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A Richmond woman is getting results from a property management company after her bedroom ceiling partially collapsed, causing a head injury.

Stacey Rosa reached out to 12 On Your Side after days of not hearing from her property management company, Evernest. Rosa says she had been worried about the bedroom ceiling in her West Grace Street apartment for months.

“It always had kind of a dip in it, even when I first moved in,” she explained. “It wasn’t really that bad. And it’s an old house, you know, it’s The Fan, you just chalk it up the ‘Fan charm,’ you know. It was getting progressively worse.”

Rosa put in work orders in April 2023 and says Evernest had two contractors come to the property, but she was told nothing was wrong.

On Friday, July 21, Rosa says she was winding down after a week of work when her dog Salem seemed startled by sounds in her room. Rosa says she eventually heard crackling and called the property management emergency number.

“I called them [and said], my ceilings about to fall down, it’s crackling. It’s making noises. I was like, ‘Y’all need to get somebody out here right away. The ceiling is about to fall,’ and they’re [said], we’re going to put you on hold,” said Rosa. “They put me on hold. I started to move my desk out because it was right under the ceiling where it was. As soon as I started to move it, the whole thing fell.”

Rosa says part of the ceiling fell on her head and neck. She called 911 and a friend for help. She was taken to the ER and diagnosed with a head injury.

“The fire department came when the emergency crew did and said that it was unsafe to be in this room, [unsafe] to sleep in here,” she said.

Rosa says she stayed in another room in the apartment with her child and pets, waiting from Friday to Tuesday for someone from Evernest to come to her apartment to see the damage.

“I was like, ‘Just please send somebody out here at least to put a tarp under it in case more things fall. Help me clean up,’” explained Rosa. “No communication. I called and reached out multiple times to no avail.”

The On Your Side investigators contacted Evernest the same day as meeting Rosa. Within one hour of an email asking for a statement and response about Rosa’s situation, she tells NBC12 a representative from Evernest contacted her about someone coming to the property to assess the damage.

“I got a text message from the woman I have been talking to [from Evernest]; she did apologize that it took so long for them to get out there and said it was much worse when she saw it in person than in the pictures,” said Rosa.

Evernest later emailed Rosa to let her know that the property owner has agreed to place Rosa in alternate housing and waive August’s rent as the apartment is repaired.

In a statement to NBC12, Evernest said the company was actively addressing Rosa’s concern with the ceiling at the time of the ceiling collapse.

“During this time, we provided the tenant with multiple options to relocate to either a hotel or a comparable unit. The tenant has now agreed to relocate to a neighboring unit for the remainder of their tenancy. Once she has fully vacated, we will begin a full remediation to ensure a safe and habitable environment,” an Evernest representative explained.

Rosa says she was impressed with the response from the company.

“You got something done,” Rosa said to 12 On Your Side. “They weren’t listening to me at all. They weren’t responding - you made me feel valued and seen and heard.”

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