An East Nashville woman said she is forced to camp out in her own backyard, while she waits for her house to be repaired after a fire.
Jacquelyn Pitts said her home of 28 years was damaged in a fire in October of 2016. The company BMS CAT offered to help with repairs. However, Pitts said after $18,000 and months of waiting, no work has been done.
“They are giving me the runaround,” said Pitts. “I’m homeless on my property. I’m homeless in my backyard.”
Pitts said after running out of places to stay, she built a make-shift tent in her backyard and stocked it with basic necessities. She said she had been living there two weeks, and her frustration with the situation continued to grow.
“It doesn’t take 10 months to hang drywall,” said Pitts.” This is coming up on a year I’ve been out of my house and the drywall is sitting here on the floor.”
A spokesperson for BMS CAT confirmed the company began work on Pitts’ home right after the fire. However, there was a long delay while waiting for a structural engineer to inspect the site. The engineer is required by the insurance company. Staffing changes resulted in further delays.
However, the company released the following statement:
"We are confident we will get Ms. Pitts back into her home as quickly as possible and are committed to making sure she is 100 percent satisfied."
Pitts said she hoped to see progress at her home soon.
“I just want to be back in my home,” said Pitts.
