I currently rent from Denise Rego who is in charge of the property located at 1046 W. 21 St. in Lorain.  She owns 18 properties in Lorain and most of them are in disrepair, she has been dubbed as “The Queen Slumlord” of the city and so here I am reaching out for help!  Since moving in I have asked her repeatedly to fix all the issues in the house (that she promised to fix) all to no avail.  From cockroaches to doors being visibly pulled away from the foundation, windows with cracks around the frames, toilets that don’t flush, holes in the walls and floors that resemble that of a third world country, I have never lived in a worse place in my entire life! 

Currently, I am facing eviction.  Not because I don’t have the money to pay, but because she refuses to follow through with her end of the bargain – to fix up the place like she said she would when I agreed to move in.  The first time that she put the 30-day eviction notice on the door I had called her and explained to her why I didn’t pay the rent.  She informed me that if I paid it she would cancel the eviction and begin working on the house repairs.  So I paid her and still the eviction notice remained on my door with zero fixes being done.  She is by far the worst landlord I have ever had in my entire life.  All she does is sit on her ass and collect money from hardworking people but doesn’t feel the need to put any money in to fix the properties that she owns.  Apparently the city of Lorain projects an image and an atmosphere where landlord’s can get away with this type of behavior, perhaps they think that everyone in the city is a low-life.  Not the case as 91% of us are actually employed and work for a living, just like me!

I started my lease in August of 2018 and because of some fraudulent stuff that happened from the previous tenants that lived at the home I couldn’t get my gas turned on for three months.  The responsibility fell on me to prove that the last people that stayed here weren’t staying here anymore.  Just another fun bit of information to add to this nightmare I’m currently going through.

The only reason why I moved in in the first place is because she said she was going to get the place fixed and took money off of the deposit.  Upon moving in, the home wasn’t even wiped down, cleaned, painted, nothing.  It was my responsibility to come in and clean up from the last people that lived here.  The people that she does hire to fix the issues all look like crackheads (and I’m pretty sure they are).   The kitchen and bathroom floors I had to put down myself because it was impossible to even walk on them.  They were so nasty and she just threw some sticky floor stuff down over top of the floors that smelled like dog pee an animal feces.  I tried to get my deposit back at that point, but she refused.

Fun Fact:  Rent isn’t cheap at this location either folks.  Rego asked for $755/mo.

HAWK Says:  Can’t believe you’re living like this.  You need to stop paying her, you have enough documentation to take to the Lorain Court’s.  Begin giving them your monthly rent instead and they will force her to make any and all repairs before releasing the monies to her.  

The Living Room

This following pictures show the living room where the front door is clearly messed up.  Above the door I had to put a screw in the window because it kept falling out and as a result of the window falling out it messed up my blinds.  I have plastic on all the windows in the house because they all bad and drafty (in an effort to reduce my gas bill).  I’m not talking about normal drafty windows either, these frames you can see clearly outside of, gaping separation between the window and the frame in some places.

The Dining Room

These pictures show the dining room where she kept saying she was going to come have somebody put a floor down and never did…  I had to have plastic on this big double window because again they are very old and extremely drafty.  The ledge by the double window is actually broken entirely.  Again something that she was notified of and said she would fix but never did.  More broken promises.

The Kitchen

The kitchen and half bath (why she put the toilet in the kitchen is beyond me) is where most of the cockroaches are.  It is so bad that I refused to put any of the food in the kitchen and instead stored in in different areas – away from the infestation to prevent them from contaminating my meals.  The cockroaches are also inside of the digital clock of the microwave, the coffeepot, the walls, the sink, the drains, the vents, pretty much spreading throughout the entirety of the house at this point.   Just to top it all off the toilet that you see doesn’t flush, is permanently clogged & was this way the day that I moved in.  Yet another issue she swore to resolve that she never got around to doing.

The Bottom Line

This slumlord needs to be shut down and put out of business.  Judging from the pictures this house needs to be raised to the ground.  She should also be forced to live in any of the homes that she rents.  This is beyond outrageous and ridiculous already.

SCUMBAGGED Tip:  If a house looks like shit before moving in don’t take a landlord’s word for it in Lorain.  If you already moved in and the landlord is doing this same type of behavior.  Refuse to pay the rent.  Instead take your money to the Lorain Court’s and pay them directly.  Make notations with the courts of the issues.  Document your conversations (audio or text) with your landlords as well regarding the issues.  If you want things to change, you can force the change by withholding their rent by giving it to the courts.  The funds won’t be released until all major issues are fixed.  It’s the only way to get things fucking done in Lorain because it’s fairly clear Mayor Chase Ritenauer doesn’t give two shit’s about “lower income individuals”.  Considering he lives in the beautiful, well maintained, always paved & snow plowed gateway of “The Yacht Club” (E. Marina Pkwy to be precise) why should he have to worry about anywhere or anyone else?  He get’s paid regardless and is accustomed to getting the guaranteed vote due to his party affiliation.  Don’t worry though Scumbagged faithful, the Mayor is next.

Related Article: 

The Queen Slumlord – Denise Rego & ARAKA LLC.: 18 Homes Straight From Hell (Lorain, Ohio)