NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville homeowner is living with space heaters as his only source of heat in his half-million-dollar townhome after his heating and air conditioning system broke down in April.
Jameson Massey, who lives in East End Village, has been dealing with a faulty HVAC system in his new-build townhome for months. The broken system has left him and his cats struggling to stay warm as winter temperatures drop.
"This has been the worst experience, one of the worst experiences of my life," Massey said.
The heating problems have affected more than just Massey. His senior sphynx cat has been sitting in front of a space heater full-time, even sleeping there at night because the animal can't get warm. The cat has also become sick due to the cold conditions.
"He's been sitting there full-time, even last night. He sleeps right in front of it because he can't get warm and he is also sick," Massey said.
Massey said the East End Village builders, Luma Systems, helped reimburse him for window units during the summer months. But as winter arrived, they provided him with space heaters to keep warm.
"This is what I'm currently using the heat my whole house," Massey said, referring to the space heaters.
Using space heaters as the sole heat source has created additional concerns for Massey, who said he's not sleeping due to fears about pipes bursting and fire hazards.
"It's keeping it barely livable, I think, and that's a hard pill to swallow when you spend so much money, and your hemorrhaging money on top of it to use things like this," Massey said.
For months, Massey filed repair requests during the builder's warranty period to get the repairs completed, but problems persisted. Unable to continue living without proper heat and air conditioning, he decided to post his concerns publicly outside his home.
Signs posted outside his home read: "Buyer Beware. 525K House. No Heat. No AC. Since 04/24/25"
"I think I just hit the tipping point where I wanted to warn others. I saw they're trying to sell these places," Massey said. "It just seems wrong. They have a whole neighborhood of people who don't have working air."
The builder's attorney, Seth McInteer, explained over the phone that they're going above and beyond what they're contractually obligated to do but are motivated to fix the systems. He said the problem lies with the manufacturer, Samsung, and faulty parts. The builders hope to compel Samsung to make repairs by the end of the month.
Despite the promised timeline, Massey continues to struggle with the cold conditions in his home.
"I'm just in here freezing the whole time and there's literally nothing I can do about it," Massey said.
The situation has soured what was supposed to be an exciting move into a new home and community.
"Now I want out. I just don't even wanna live here anymore," Massey said. "I'm already in a money pit."
Beyond the HVAC issues, Massey said his electricity usage has increased more than 100%, sometimes doubling or tripling his monthly bills due to the space heaters.
Massey said an inspection revealed no issues when he moved in, making the current situation even more frustrating. He now faces a $15,000 replacement quote for a new HVAC system.
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
