At Crestwood Village on Columbus’ east side, tenants say home has started to feel more like a health hazard than a haven. Residents report roaches in their kitchens, trash and sewage piling up around the complex, and water damage that has left some floors and walls soft, broken or gaping. One tenant who is nine months pregnant told reporters she no longer feels safe staying in her unit. New management has taken over, but many residents say real repairs only seem to happen after people move out, leaving those still in their apartments to live with the mess. The situation has drawn in the City Attorney’s office and city code officials as neighbors push for faster action.
City steps in
According to a press release from the Columbus City Attorney’s Office, the Property Action Team has documented a long history of problems at the nine-building complex and has already been in court for a status conference. The release notes that police were called to the property about 131 times between November 2024 and November 2025 and that code officers issued roughly 60 violations, including 19 emergency orders. Local coverage of the city’s lawsuit ran in December, and detailed the city’s lawsuit at the time.
Tenants’ accounts
On Friday, residents walked reporters through what they say proves the buildings are unsafe: images of roaches crawling over floors and inside cabinets, plus video of a large hole in a kitchen where water damage was never properly repaired. Tenants including Camille Campbell, who is nine months pregnant, told WBNS they stopped paying rent after repeated maintenance requests went nowhere and said some units now feel flat-out uninhabitable. Neighbors also described ongoing trash and sewage problems in common areas that they believe attract pests and create serious health concerns. Their accounts line up with the city’s court filings, which list infestations, leaks, sewage backups and other unresolved health and safety violations.
Management’s response
The property is managed locally by Rent Smartr Realty, which lists Crestwood Village addresses on its website and names John Wilson as the regional manager for its Ohio portfolio. Rent Smartr’s public listing shows multiple Clairpoint Court and East Livingston Avenue addresses for the community and provides on-site contact details, serving as the main management and contact point for residents.
Local reporting says Rent Smartr’s regional manager told reporters the company has begun renovating vacant units and plans to address interior problems once apartments are empty, and that managers may seek eviction for tenants who stopped paying rent. Residents argue that tying repairs to move-outs puts families in a bind and risks pushing people out instead of fixing hazardous conditions while they are still living in their homes.
Know your rights
City officials encourage tenants to report housing problems through Columbus’s 311 service, either online or by calling (614) 645-3111, which can trigger inspections and code enforcement. The City’s Building & Zoning Services page explains how to file a complaint and what to expect during the inspection process: Columbus Building & Zoning Services. Under Ohio law, renters may deposit their payments with the court through a rent escrow process after providing written notice and waiting the time required by statute, a remedy outlined in Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321. The City Attorney’s office has used aggressive court tools in other cases, including court-appointed receiverships, when landlords repeatedly failed to address code violations, as described in prior city press materials on different properties…