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from WKYC: Heating woes continue for tenants at Euclid Estates Apartments in Cleveland


Posted January 23, 2025
10:42 pm


By Kaitor Kay

CLEVELAND — Frustrations continue with the inconsistent heating at an apartment complex on the east side of Cleveland. Although temperatures have risen a bit Thursday, tenants at Euclid Estates say it's still too cold to be living in such conditions.

3News interviewed Dallas Muehe, a single mother of three children, twice this week, and on Thursday morning she told us she's losing patience not knowing when the heating is going to be fixed.

She told us a manager called her Wednesday night to say they're working to solve the electrical issues causing the power outages, and it could take upwards of a month to be resolved.

When temps hit subzero earlier week, she said the temperature inside her apartment dipped to the 30s. She explained that the inconsistent power problem has plagued them since November.

She and other tenants we spoke to say they shouldn't have to pay the upcoming February rent if this problem continues.

"It doesn't feel so good," one tenant said. "We came here to live, have a stable living, be warm, but it feels like they can't even provide simple heating for us. It's crazy."

We asked the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland if tenants have to pay rent while the issue persists.

"Yes, unfortunately the answer to that is yes," said Legal Aid Society of Cleveland staff attorney Nicole Cratty. "Tenants do maintain the obligation to pay their rent even if there are major housing code violations or other conditions issues at their property. Now, that doesn't mean that the landlord still doesn't have a duty to make repairs and remedy those conditions. And of course, if we're dealing with sub-Arctic temperatures and outside their apartments is 30 degrees and their babies are crying, like I get it, that's terrible. But the obligation to pay rent remains."

Cratty said the best option for these tenants is to give the landlord their complaint in writing and then go to Cleveland Municipal Court to open up a rental deposit case. This allows a tenant to give their monthly rent to the court — instead of their landlord — until the issue is resolved.

Cratty said this should pressure apartment management to make repairs faster.

"The tenant should advise the landlord that if the repairs are not made within the time frame specified, that they will begin depositing their rent with the court," she explained. "Typically, reasonable notice is considered 30 days, but with more major situations, like when outside temperatures are well-below freezing, and the interior temperatures of a tenant’s unit are falling to unsafe levels, less notice would be reasonable; seven days might be found reasonable under these circumstances."

Cratty added that rental deposit case applications are always subject to the discretion of the court.

She also shared that a rental deposit case could lead to the judge ordering the landlord to pay for tenants to temporarily stay in a hotel.

"I would say that unless and until they have an order from the court, the landlord should pay for a hotel, but you're going to get push back until you have something in black and white from a magistrate," Cratty explained.

Tenants can contact the Cleveland Housing Court at 216-664-4295 and ask to speak to a Housing Court Specialist to learn more about the rent escrow process. They can also reach out to Legal Aid’s Tenant Information Line at 216-861-5955.

Cratty also mentioned that tenants also always have the right to reach out to the City of Cleveland Housing Department with this type of issue. They will send an inspector to look at the property and potentially issue violations to the owner.

Thursday afternoon, 3News asked the Euclid Estates property manager about the inconsistent heating problem and a timeline of it being fixed, and they said they can't comment on the situation, but are working to resolve it.


Source: WKYC - Broken heating remains unfixed at Euclid Estates apartment complex in Cleveland 

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