Residents report no water as utility shuts off service for unpaid bills
Tenants at The Forge, an apartment complex on Broadway Street in Buffalo, experienced low water pressure or no running water Thursday after the building’s owners fell into arrears on payments to the municipal water authority, residents and officials said.
Multiple tenants described waking to weak or absent water flow and gathering outside the building to compare notes. Some residents said a shut-off notice had been posted on the building’s door earlier the same day.
- Building: The Forge apartment complex, Broadway Street, Buffalo
- Management: KMG Prestige (recently took over from Corvus Property Intelligence)
- Owner listed: The Forge LLC
- Amount in arrears: More than $37,000, according to Buffalo Water Board Chair Brian A. Gould
Tenants describe immediate hardships
Several tenants spoke to reporters about the disruptions. Tabitha Parker said residents were outside asking one another whether the problem affected their apartments as well. Nicole Banks said the low pressure or shutoff prevented her from washing her baby granddaughter’s bottles.
"Woke up, the pressure was low. By the time I spoke to my neighbors, they said water was off," Nicole said.
Residents also expressed frustration at what they described as poor responsiveness from building management. Reporters found the building’s receptionist office vacant and locked while tenants were seeking assistance; some tenants said delays in communication are common.
"It usually takes them 24 to 48 hours to call us back," one tenant told reporters when describing prior experiences with the management company, KMG Prestige.
Management and utility response
KMG Prestige, which recently assumed management responsibilities from Corvus Property Intelligence, was on site Thursday. Aisling Sullivan, regional property manager for KMG Prestige, told reporters the company had paid some of the money owed to Buffalo Water and that they were waiting for the utility to restore service.
"We're waiting for the water company to turn things back on," Sullivan said. "They didn't notify us they were turning it off, so this was a bit of a surprise to us."
Buffalo Water Board Chair Brian A. Gould said the owners and the building had been sent multiple notifications about unpaid amounts before service was shut off. He identified the owner as The Forge LLC and said the account was more than $37,000 in arrears.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Management company | KMG Prestige (recent takeover from Corvus Property Intelligence) |
| Owner | The Forge LLC |
| Amount owed | More than $37,000 |
Local implications and next steps
The interruption highlights tensions that can arise when property owners fall behind on municipal utility payments and renters bear the immediate consequences. Tenants contend that building management is often slow to respond to maintenance and billing concerns, and this incident intensified those frustrations.
KMG Prestige’s statement that it had made a partial payment indicates efforts to resolve the debt, but the timing of service restoration remained dependent on Buffalo Water actions. The utility’s enforcement of shutoffs after repeated notices underscores the municipal authority’s role in balancing system integrity and public access to essential services.
For tenants, the incident has practical, day-to-day implications. Low or no water pressure affects cooking, cleaning, hygiene and care for children or elderly household members. It also raises questions about the reliability of building management and the adequacy of communication between landlords, managers and residents when utility service is at stake.
Reporters attempted to confirm whether service was restored later in the day and to obtain further comment from Buffalo Water; those efforts were not immediately reflected in available statements at the time of reporting.
City residents concerned about similar issues with their landlords or utilities can contact Buffalo Water or their local elected officials to report problems and seek guidance on tenant protections and utility restoration procedures.
