Students living at a University of Cincinnati-listed apartment building describe piled-up trash, roaches, gnats, flies and rodent droppings, and at least one tenant who complained in writing says she was handed an eviction notice instead of a fix. The building, known as Campus Park or CP Cincy, boasts capacity for 440 students and is marketed on its website as a stress-free, fully furnished option with a poolside grill and coffee bar near campus.
The building is listed on UC's off-campus housing website as a stunning property with a pool, according to Local 12. But Tyrell Lake, a freshman at the University of Cincinnati, described a far less polished reality: trash in the hallways, gnats everywhere, flies and bugs, plus a strange smell that he said hits every single day. Lake told the station he plans to file a formal complaint over the conditions.
A Pool That Wasn't Pool-Ready
Lake also said the building's advertised swimming pool was green and algae-filled when he moved in, and that he still has not used it. The amenity is a selling point on Campus Park's own site, which touts a stress-free, fully furnished living experience for students near the University of Cincinnati, per a listing on cpcincy.com.
An inspector who visited the property observed piled-up trash and roaches, and the station's report notes he told a tenant he would be informing the Cincinnati health department as well. Per the same account, the building carries seven open code-enforcement cases and dozens of closed ones on Cincinnati's building inspection portal. The city's own health department page states that a health inspector typically conducts an on-site inspection within one to four days of a roach complaint and issues orders to the responsible party if a violation is confirmed, according to the City of Cincinnati.
Complaint Met With Eviction Notice
One student who submitted a written complaint about her concerns was answered instead with an eviction notice, the report states, and she is now scheduled to appear in court in November. Cincinnati's own housing-resources guidance says a tenant does not have to move out of a property until a court orders it, according to the city's eviction-help page. The outcome of the student's case has not been determined.
Ohio law does give tenants a potential shield in situations involving landlord retaliation. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 5321.02, a tenant can raise retaliatory action as a defense if a landlord tries to recover possession of a unit in response to a complaint.
Management Shakeup Adds Confusion
Who exactly is responsible for fixing the building is itself murky. Redstone had been listed on UC's website as the management company, while Book & Ladder, based in Southern California, was listed as the building's owner, per the station's reporting. As of Wednesday, a new management company, Cardinal Group of Denver, Colorado, had taken over, the outlet reported.
An on-property representative reportedly told the station corporate would call back, but no such callback had come by publication, and the station says it also received no response from the property owner or management company. UC Housing has operated spaces inside the complex as a residence hall even though the university does not own the property, according to a 2019 report from The News Record.
Not an Isolated Problem in Cincinnati
Campus Park's troubles echo other recent disputes over student and rental housing conditions in the city. A judge declared the Kirby Avenue apartments in Cincinnati's Mt. Airy neighborhood a public nuisance last year over ongoing bugs, mold and non-functioning utilities, and the city allocated $400,000 toward repairs there even as other buildings kept struggling with trash collection, electricity and hot water, according to Local 12's earlier coverage of that property.
Similar complaints have surfaced beyond Ohio. Families at The Radley apartment complex near the University of South Carolina reported cockroaches, feces on floors, broken locks and mold during move-in this past August, according to WIS-TV, though that property offered to pay for hotel rooms for dissatisfied families.
Cincinnati's Property Maintenance Division says it handles tenant complaints about poor housing conditions through a mix of education and enforcement aimed at building safety hazards, according to city data. Residents can report property-maintenance complaints through 311 or the 311Cincy! app, the city says, after which an inspector is tasked with researching the issue and taking appropriate action. For now, the health department's next steps at Campus Park, and the fate of the student facing eviction after she complained, remain unresolved.
