CLEVELAND —  Tenants at a downtown Cleveland apartment building say their landlord is neglecting the building and jeopardizing the safety of the residents, who are older than 62 or have disabilities. 

What You Need To Know

  • Tenants at St. Clair Place, in downtown Cleveland, say their landlord is neglecting the building and jeopardizing the safety the residents, who are older than 62 or have disabilities.

  • Residents said their primary concern at St. Clair Place is the broken frame of the back door that allows people who don’t live there to enter the building

  • According to the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, who is representing the St. Clair Place Tenant’s Association, there have been documented instances of non-residents using drugs, overdosing, and engaging in sexual activity in the building

  • The landlords, Owner’s Management Company and St. Clair Place Cleveland, didn't respond to our request for comment, but in a response filed in Cleveland housing court, their attorneys denied the allegations

Residents say their primary concern at St. Clair Place is the broken frame of the back door that allows people who don’t live there to enter the building.

“I feel vulnerable,” Marlo Burress, a resident of 20 years, said. “You know, I don’t feel safe walking the halls. I used to be able to exercise. I don’t do it. I don’t even like to watch it anymore, but I have to. People sleeping in our stairwells. I can’t go up and down the stairs because I’m afraid. I feel very vulnerable because when they see me with this oxygen, they assume that they can take advantage of me.”

Tenants who live in these low-income apartments are mostly elderly, disabled or immunocompromised — and they say they’re concerned about their safety.

According to the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, who is representing the St. Clair Place Tenant’s Association, there have been documented instances of non-residents using drugs, overdosing, and engaging in sexual activity in the building.

They’re asking the landlords, Owner’s Management Company and St. Clair Place Cleveland, to take accountability for these conditions and make the needed repairs.

Burress said she doesn’t want to leave, but she hasn’t felt safe in her unit for the past few years — especially as her medical issues have gotten worse. 

She said if things don’t change, she’ll have to leave Cleveland to go live with her daughter in Florida. 

“I just think it’s so unfair that they don’t care if our security is horrible,” Burress said. “I mean, horrible.”

We’ve reached out to the landlords for a statement, but haven’t heard back. 

However, in a response filed in Cleveland housing court, the landlord’s attorneys denied the allegations. 

Attorneys with legal aid say there’s now caution tape near the back door and the frame appears to be fixed, but they’ve had no communication from property managers. 

They said the complaint about safety concerns on behalf of the tenant’s association was first filed in December 2023. 

In March 2024, they requested emergency relief to fix the back door and its lock.

They’re now waiting for a decision from the Cleveland Housing Court — which is expected to come any day.