EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — The comfort of home has been ripped away from residents of the Marlboro House apartment complex in East Cleveland.
Residents said there’s been no hot water in the buildings on Euclid Ave. since mid-July, and since Sept. 4, there’s been no gas after Enbridge issued a disconnection notice in late August.
Tameka Wilcox said the situation has turned her life upside down.
“That’s the hot side,” she said, as she turned one of the knobs to her kitchen sink. “Nothing comes on."
She said the water issue started after a pipe issue in the building, then the gas got shut off following an Aug. 21 shut-off notice from Enbridge stating, “Your landlord has not paid the gas bill for your building(s). As a result, your gas will be shut off.”
Wilcox couldn’t believe her eyes.
"I'm saying to myself, ‘Y'all ain't paying your bills, but want us to pay rent?’ I'm aggravated," she said.
With no gas and no hot water, daily activities like cooking, cleaning and bathing have become difficult.
She’s using a single hot plate to boil water to use for bathing and cooking.
“What is it like having to live under these circumstances?" I said.
She responded, “Horrible. Horrible.”
The feeling is boiling over as other renters search for answers.
“I work at Amazon from 6:30 p.m. to 5 a.m., so when I get off work, I expect to, you know, come home and take a hot shower,” said resident Justin Modic. “I haven’t had a hot shower in a couple months.”
He said calls to the property management company and leasing office seem pointless.
“They don’t even respond… no response,” Modic said.
Wilcox scrolled through a long text message chain she said she’s had with the leasing office pointing out issues including the lack of hot water and gas.
“And you're getting the runaround?” I said.
“Yes. They don't even respond to text messages or calls anymore,” Wilcox said.
Property records show Z4 Properties Ohio LLC owns Marlboro House apartments. I called two numbers listed online for the company, but they didn’t work.
I also called a number Wilcox said was the leasing office. It went to voicemail. I immediately got a “text” from the number saying “please text.” I left a voicemail and a text message seeking insight into the water and gas issues, plans to resolve them, and how residents are being supported in the meantime. So far, there’s been no response.
Wilcox hopes the situation gets resolved soon, especially before cooler temperatures and winter arrive.
"I put my rent in escrow starting October the first,” she said.
She said she loves her apartment.
“It's comfy. It's convenient. Close to the doctors I go to and everything else,” Wilcox said.
But she wants it to feel and function like a home again with the services owed to her and others.
"Get the gas on. Period. Get the gas on,” Wilcox said.
East Cleveland’s Law Director Ken Myers told me that the city has criminal charges “in the works” against Z4 Properties Ohio LLC “related to its conduct as a landlord in the city.”
Myers said officials are also having trouble locating the property owner but noted that the city will use every avenue to hold them accountable.
He said in the meantime residents are urged to pay their rent through the courts using escrow. More information is available by visiting or contacting the East Cleveland Municipal Court. The court is located at 14340 Euclid Ave. in East Cleveland. Its phone number is (216) 681-2220.
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
