Tenants at the Marlboro House apartments in East Cleveland say they have been living without hot water since mid-July and without gas entirely since September 4, forced to boil water on hot plates just to bathe and cook. The 48-unit complex at 14815-14835 Euclid Avenue is owned by Z4 Properties Ohio LLC, the same landlord entity that East Cleveland officials say is already facing criminal charges over conditions at another building in the city.
Resident Tameka Wilcox described her living conditions as “horrible. Horrible,” according to News 5 Cleveland, even as she said her apartment itself is otherwise comfortable and convenient. She now uses a single hot plate to boil water for bathing and cooking, and she started putting her rent into escrow on October 1, demanding that gas service be restored.
Fellow tenant Justin Modic, who works overnight shifts at Amazon from 6:30 p.m. to 5 a.m., told the outlet he has gone without a hot shower for a couple of months. The station's report notes that Marlboro House residents broadly face difficulties with cooking, cleaning and bathing, and that the property's management has not responded to residents' calls and text messages.
Gas Company Points to Unpaid Bill
According to the same account, the water problem traces back to a pipe issue inside the building, while the gas shutoff followed a disconnection notice Enbridge issued in late August. Enbridge told residents directly, per the report: “Your landlord has not paid the gas bill for your building(s). As a result, your gas will be shut off.” Z4 Properties Ohio LLC has not responded to inquiries about either the water or gas issues, the outlet notes.
Under Section 5321.04(A)(6) of the Ohio Revised Code, residential landlords are statutorily required to supply running water, reasonable amounts of hot water, and reasonable heat at all times. That obligation underpins the escrow option East Cleveland officials are now pointing tenants toward.
City Urges Tenants Toward Rent Escrow
East Cleveland officials are urging residents to pay rent through the courts using escrow rather than directly to the landlord, per the station's report. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 5321.07, tenants current on rent who submit written notice of severe habitability violations can legally deposit rent payments into a court-managed escrow account if the landlord fails to remedy conditions within a reasonable time, according to Hemlane. That protection has an exception for landlords who own three or fewer rental units and disclosed that exception in writing at move-in. The clerk of courts managing such an escrow account is statutorily authorized to retain a 1% fee of deposited rent for administrative costs, per the Ohio Legislative Service Commission's codification of Section 5321.08(D).
East Cleveland's law director, Ken Myers, said the city will use every avenue to hold the property owner accountable, the station's report states, and confirmed that criminal charges are in the works against Z4 Properties Ohio LLC. Officials, however, say they are having trouble locating the property owner even as utility shutoff notices remain active. The East Cleveland Municipal Court, located at 14340 Euclid Ave., can be reached at (216) 681-2220 for tenants seeking to begin the escrow process.
A Familiar Pattern for This Landlord
This is not the first time Z4 Properties and its owner, Gaulter Amarelo Jr., have faced this kind of scrutiny in East Cleveland. Hoodline previously reported that Amarelo was arrested at his Fairview Park home in February and booked on 50 misdemeanor criminal counts after tenants at another Z4-owned building, 1885 Taylor Road, spent months without heat and weeks without running water. Conditions there grew severe enough that the East Cleveland Fire Marshal advised residents to evacuate.
In March, an East Cleveland Municipal Court judge ordered Amarelo to find new housing for all tenants displaced from the Taylor Road property and to present proof of relocation to the court. The Better Business Bureau lists Z4 Properties Ohio at an office address of 15108 Euclid Avenue in East Cleveland and notes the business is not BBB-accredited. Marlboro House itself has seen its assessed tax valuation climb in recent years, rising to $98,637 for tax year 2025 from $90,910 in 2024 and $78,371 in 2023, according to property records reviewed by Homes.com.
Whether East Cleveland prosecutors will file additional criminal counts against Z4 Properties specifically over Marlboro House remains an open question, particularly as officials continue to report difficulty locating the property owner while shutoff notices stay in effect. For now, Wilcox and her neighbors are left boiling water on hot plates and pressing the city and courts for relief.
