Mayor Pureval: 'We are coming for you.' Cincinnati sues Williamsburg Apartments owners

Randy Tucker and Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer
·3 min read
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The city of Cincinnati is suing the owners of Williamsburg Apartments in Hartwell over multiple code violations. In November, residents lost water for about five days and many were forced into hotels.
The city of Cincinnati is suing the owners of Williamsburg Apartments in Hartwell over multiple code violations. In November, residents lost water for about five days and many were forced into hotels.
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The city of Cincinnati filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the owners of Williamsburg Apartments of Cincinnati, where dozens of residents were displaced over the holidays due to poor housing conditions.

At a press conference to announce the suit, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said some tenants have endured unlivable conditions at the 976-unit complex in Hartwell, including water damage and mold from leaking pipes, blocked sewer lines and hazardous wiring.

Williamsburg owners have shown a “pattern of neglectful behavior that has created conditions no one should be forced to live in,” Pureval said during a press conference.

The lawsuit was filed by the Quality of Life Division of the City Solicitor’s Office and will be heard in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas.

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Mayor Aftab Pureval announced at a press conference Tuesday that the city of Cincinnati has sued the Williamsburg Apartments of Cincinnati over poor housing conditions.
Mayor Aftab Pureval announced at a press conference Tuesday that the city of Cincinnati has sued the Williamsburg Apartments of Cincinnati over poor housing conditions.

A number of Williamsburg tenants were left without running water during Thanksgiving after a water line failed in the complex, which houses hundreds of families in multiple buildings off Galbraith Road, according to the complaint.

Over the Christmas weekend, dozens of residents were forced to evacuate their apartments because they were living without water or heat or forced to deal with apartments that had been flooded after pipes burst due to the cold.

City inspectors have also discovered dozens of building code violations, including broken doors and windows, and generally unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

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Tobye Marshell has lived in the Williamsburg Apartments for about four months. In November, he had to go to a hotel for four days while his apartment was without water. He said it’s happened more than once. “You get home from work, you need water," he told The Enquirer Tuesday.
Tobye Marshell has lived in the Williamsburg Apartments for about four months. In November, he had to go to a hotel for four days while his apartment was without water. He said it’s happened more than once. “You get home from work, you need water," he told The Enquirer Tuesday.

In an open letter, the city said it asked the property's owner, New Jersey-based BRC Williamsburg Holdings LLC, to submit a plan to address health and safety violations at the complex to avoid legal action by the city.

In a written response dated Dec. 18, a Williamsburg representative said the company planned to resolve all issues by the end of 2022, except for exterior lighting repairs, which would be completed by March 31.

But the city still questions the owner's "ability to fix the problems in an acceptable timeframe," a press release said.

The lawsuit requests that the court order Williamsburg owners to fix all issues in a timely manner. If the owners fail, the lawsuit requests that the court appoint a receiver, who will make the necessary repairs.

Pureval said the complex owners can ignore the city if they choose, but they can’t ignore a judge's order “or they’ll go to jail.”

The mayor added that the issues affecting Williamsburg residents are pervasive throughout Cincinnati due to out-of-town "institutional investors."

"We know who these investors are," he tweeted. "We’re committing our resources to finding violations and protecting residents. And whether you’re Williamsburg, or VineBrook, or any other group neglecting your property and harming your tenants, understand this: We are coming for you."

VineBrook, which owns more than 3,000 single-family rentals in Hamilton County, has come under intense scrutiny from state, local and federal officials for its ownership and management practices, as The Enquirer previously reported.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati files lawsuit against Williamsburg Apartments owners