Wilmington officials allowed residents of Herring Manor return to their apartments Friday after condemning the 41-unit apartment complex earlier this week for a lack of heat and hot water.

Wilmington officials said they lifted the Department of Licenses and Inspections’ unfit declaration, but two violation notices remain in place until the building owner and management company make “permanent repairs by the close of business on Monday.”

The apartment’s heating and hot water system was inspected by city officials Friday, and inspectors determined the building safe for residents to return.

The apartment complex, located on North Market Street in Wilmington, provides affordable housing for seniors and those with disabilities. It was condemned by the city Tuesday.

Wilmington building inspectors ordered the owner Union Baptist Community Corp. to find housing for 30 Herring Manor residents as a result. City officials said “only a handful of residents chose to relocate.”

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“Prior to this week, the building was declared unfit by (Licenses and Inspections) in mid-December,” a Friday city news release reads. “However, repairs were made quickly by the management company and residents did not have to be displaced.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development subsidized complex is managed by AJPC Property Management, a property management firm that oversees several other federally subsidized housing complexes in Delaware.

Herring Manor’s long-term problems

While city officials said the apartment complex’s problems with heating are a recent development, interviews with tenants indicate a long-term problem.

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Herring Manor residents say service for heat and hot water has been unreliable during the cold weather months for years, and in recent months, they’ve gone weeks without heat or hot water.

Wilmington officials said HUD assisted with the relocation of some Herring Manor residents and ensured repairs “were made in a timely fashion.”

A Delaware Online/The News Journal reporter visited the apartment complex on Jan. 4 after receiving complaints about a lack of heat and hot water, and found working heat and hot water in several units.

City Licenses and Inspections records show Herring Manor has received 88 violation notices since 2007. Most “were for water heater issues, faulty plumbing, insect and rodent issues, mold and mildew” and needing to replace electrical outlets and repair walls and ceilings.

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A separate HUD inspection report for the years 2014 to 2019 shows that the building was cited for several violations related to fire protection, electrical hazards and rodents.

Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Why Wilmington inspectors OK’d Herring Manor residents’ return home