Renters’ rights in Houston: Northwest Pines renter fears pine trees will fall on her trailer, but Action 13 helps with resolution

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) —When a storm blows through, we often see how destructive falling trees can be.

A renter in northwest Houston contacted Action 13’s Renters’ Rights, concerned that management wasn’t doing its part and was putting her home in danger.

“Well, these two trees behind me are both in danger of falling on my trailer and destroying it,” renter Colleen Borum explained.

Borum and her son said they have lived with this fear for nearly a year.

She owns her mobile home and rents the lot.

She said phone calls, emails, and even a registered letter to Northwest Pines management did nothing to fix the issue.

“She didn’t call me, she didn’t email me, she didn’t say, ‘Come in the office, we’ll talk about it.’ Nothing,” Borum said.

Borum said one tall pine tree is dead, and the other has continued to lean further over her home during the decades she’s lived here.

“We would be homeless. If this destroys our house, we’ll be homeless. That’s if we’re not killed. When we had these storms just recently, I was petrified. I was really scared,” Borum said.

She’s worried for their safety and for their future.

An email from management in March said trimming the trees was “on their to-do list.”

“It doesn’t comfort me when they say it’s ‘on their to-do list.’ It doesn’t comfort me at all because they’re not paying attention to things,” Borum’s son, Jacob, said.

Unless your lease states otherwise, it is typically the landlord’s responsibility to maintain the overall property, including the trees.

Eyewitness News met with the mother-son duo last week and reached out to management on their behalf.

Four days later, management got the two trees cut down, which was a massive relief for them, who weren’t asking for much.

“We just want to live in peace, that’s all,” Borum said.

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Do you have questions about your rent? Are you struggling to get help from a landlord? Send us your questions, and we will look into it.