A group of tenants at apartment buildings abandoned by real estate investment group Vision & Beyond say they're still struggling with major maintenance issues and want a meeting with a temporary property manager appointed by Hamilton County Courts.
Roughly a dozen tenants of properties now managed by Prodigy Properties gathered outside the company's office for a news conference Wednesday before delivering a petition demanding to meet with the company by May 7.
The residents and tenants' rights activists supporting them say the petition has signatures from the majority of residents at seven former Vision & Beyond buildings. They say it represents the first steps toward a tenants' union formed to negotiate for better conditions.
Marcy Frasier read a letter from tenants aloud in Prodigy's lobby. She lives in a former Vision & Beyond building in Price Hill.
Frasier says she's had a broken window since November that has gone unrepaired and that she received a notice from Greater Cincinnati Water Works that her water will be shut off at the end of the month due to non-payment. WVXU has reviewed a notice from GCWW about water shutoff with her address on it.
"That really has me worried," she said. "The condition of the building is flooded, the roof is messed up, there's all different types of leaks and mold going on."
Hamilton County Sheriffs deputies showed up briefly as tenants left Prodigy's office.
Prodigy released a statement later on Wednesday saying it has spent $20,000 on maintenance for the properties.
"Prodigy is taking all reasonable actions within its power to ensure the tenants have safe and habitable homes," the statement reads in part. "We share the frustrations of today’s protesters. The properties and the needs of the tenants were severely neglected by the property’s owners. Unfortunately, the receivership does not have the funds for needed repairs or proper maintenance. The property’s owners have thus far refused to provide any funds to address property maintenance and tenant concerns. Prodigy has even secured a loan to fund the necessary maintenance and repairs, but the property’s owners have objected to those funds being made available. "
Dale Rico is a resident at another apartment complex on Kirby Avenue where a number of tenants have complained about collapsing ceilings, lack of heat and other issues.
"My bedroom's leaking, my ceiling's fallen in," he said, showing WVXU a video of a hole in his ceiling. "I've been arguing with people since September of last year."
The people he's been trying to get maintenance from have shifted multiple times. Court filings from the city of Cincinnati say Vision & Beyond stopped managing the properties late last year. Hamilton County Courts first appointed Peak Properties to step in at some of those properties when it became apparent major issues were not being addressed. Prodigy replaced that company February 12, assuming management of roughly 70 former Vision & Beyond properties.
The continued confusion stems from a tangle of court cases involving Vision & Beyond. In addition to legal action by the city, the company faces foreclosure proceedings from lenders after taking out mortgages on many of its properties. It also faces lawsuits from investors alleging Vision & Beyond co-founders Stas Grinberg and Peter Gizunterman engaged in a complex fraudulent scheme to funnel the money they received from those mortgages into their own coffers.
Federal authorities arrested Grinberg last month in Houston on fraud charges related to Vision & Beyond. Court filings show U.S. attorneys recently filed a motion to delay his indictment until May 29.
"The parties are exploring the possibility of a pre-indictment resolution of this complex financial matter, which involves allegations of multimillion-dollar fraud," that filing reads.
The next hearing on the lawsuits facing Vision & Beyond will take place in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas April 28.
As the multiple civil and criminal cases continue, Frasier says she's tired of being caught in the middle.
"These past four months, dealing with two receivers, we don't know where we're at, where we stand," she said.
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