Complaint Review: 1464 Lakeland Ave -- - Lakewood Ohio

1464 Lakeland, Lakewood Ohio, managed by KW Citywide of Westlake, Ohio, is a horrible property and the property manager KW doesn't care.

First, let me start with the most important part - a very important piece of their lease agreement is illegal.

The lease agreement they make you sign says that the landlord does not guarantee "habitability", meaning, the unit may - or may not - not be up to "standard living conditions",... but guess what, that's not the landlords problem.

Seriously?

Section 5321.04 of the Ohio Revised Code says that a Landlord who is a party to a rental agreement must do whatever is reasonably necessary to make the premises "fit and habitable" ... and that the Landlord must keep all common areas of the premises (i.e. the basement) in a "safe and sanitary condition".  (https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.04)

So just know that if you're going to sign a lease with them, they're trying to absolve themselves of ANY liability if the unit is not up to standard, basic, minimum living conditions. This is illegal.

Here are the 5 major issues we've had (I'll spare you the numerous smaller stuff)

1. My girlfriend and I moved in at the time in August 2020, mainly because our separate leases ended. We didn't really have a choice so we jumped on this property. At first it looked real nice, only to immediately notice how old and barely rehabbed the house was. The entire main dining room on the 2nd floor is caving in, the floor is literally slanting inward.

2. Shortly after moving in we discovered the electrical system is a "turn and knob" system in the basement, which was outlawed from new construction homes a long time ago. This building has it though, and that requires surge protectors in ALL outlets. I've had to get new knobs to change out in the terminal in the basement numerous times after they've "blown out" and looked like they near exploded (melted, brown glass). KW Citywide management failed to warn us of this eletrical risk of a blowout and/or electrocution during a big storm. When I asked them about it, they brushed it off.

3. Then our kitchen sink pipes literally fall apart 2-3 times, we had to request the plumber to come out and fix it. The main drain tube fall of the sink, causing a near flood each time before turning off the water. Again, the house was barely rehabbed so they just did the absolute bare minimum to fix it. They fixed the kitchen sink each time, and wanted a pat on the back for doing it.

4. Once while we were on vacation January 2021, the entire window frame (and window) came out of the wall during a bad storm and broke some personal belongings in my office (the room to the left of the bathroom on the 2nd floor of the building struture itself (first level of the upper unit). I had to wedge it in and hope every storm it didn't fall again. The landlord and Keller Williams Citwide, Karen Jones and Mary Burns did nothing to fix it.

5. The best for last... Then in mid 2021, we had a sewage issue in our basement, in direct violation of State Code. Sewage water would literally back up into the basement, emanating a nasty odor throughout the entire upper unit that would last for hours. It was horrible during the winter because the heat spread the smell everywyere. The first email was sent June 2021, and the landlord refused to do anything until January, 2022. I had to threaten litigation to get them to come out and fix it. Shortly after, they sent an appraiser to re-assess the value of the property because sealing up the basement drains probably increased the value of the home.

Now that we're moved out, they are charging me $639 above my $1,750 for a countertop repair they claim cost $990. This is an absolute scam... I've never done a review like this but these people deserve it. And I doubt they're warning the next tenant about the electrical and structural issues, so I am. Do not rent this unit; it is very hazardous and the landlord is trying to enter into a lease agreement washing their hands of any liability (which is illegal, they can't absolve liability mandated as a state minimum)

This house is structurally falling apart, the electrical system is hazardous, and the landlord doesn't care at all.

Please PASS if you see KW Citywide in Westlake, Mary Burns and Karen Jones associated with a property. You do NOT want to deal with them.