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Charlotte motel residents evicted, left scrambling to find place to stay

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After dealing with filth and bed bugs, struggling families have only four days to move out of a west Charlotte motel.

Charlotte code enforcement has tracked a decade of troubling complaints at the Airport Parkway Inn and Suites on Wilkinson Boulevard, including bed bugs, mold and unsafe conditions.

Residents living there, like Britney Webb, are scrambling and desperate. They received a letter from the owner, saying they must be out by Sunday.

"They say if we're not out of this property in four days, then they're going to come in and lock the doors on us and the lights and water will be cut off," Webb said.

Code inspectors were back at the motel Wednesday, looking for violations. They could recommend the owner repair the motel or tear it down.

Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham told Channel 9 in July she was bitten by bed bugs while on site.

Webb said she's happy to see the city investigating, but she's frustrated and fearful that her family won't have a home.

"It's leaving me and the other tenants in such a financial hardship," Webb said. "Some people are even talking about sleeping in their cars because they don't know where they're going to go."

Channel 9 contacted the motel owner for comment and hasn't heard back.

The owner's letter said tenants will be reimbursed for rent paid and the closure is for renovations.

It'll be a few days before code enforcement finalize a list of violations found on Wednesday.

If inspectors determine the cost of repairs will be more than half of the structure's value, they will recommend demolition.

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