More properties have been declared public nuisances by Cleveland in the past eight months than those from 2021 to 2024 combined, public safety officials announced to City Council on Wednesday.
Since June, a month before Cleveland overhauled its nuisance laws, the Public Safety department mailed out 71 letters to owners across town whose properties became problems for neighbors and the general public, Assistant Safety Director Jason Shachner said.
Fourteen of those properties ended up as full-on nuisances and permanently on a city database.
The update seemed to soothe City Council, which has been spent years trying to figure out how to deal with, and punish, pesky Airbnbs and assorted properties that have been derelict or dangerous or filled with unruly tenants.
It’s why “this is a critical piece,” Ward 10 Councilman Michael Polensek told the room. “Because we all know we are dealing with the neighbors from hell at some times. And we’re dealing with [bad] landlords from the same location.”
Figuring out how to manage bad neighbors isn’t new problem, or unique to Cleveland by any means. But a string of out-of-control Airbnb parties—like the teen takeover of Larchmere in 2024—and lingering, well-known centers of trouble and crime in the past few years has pressured an already irritable Council to try and weed out nuisances without further clogging the justice system.
The answer last year was a major rewrite of how police and City Hall suss out and reprimand nuisance properties (and their owners). Passed last July, the new laws allow Public Safety to fine property owners after three complaints have been made—from $250 every day to up to $1,000.
What may have led to the spike in notices since last summer is the wide-ranging scope of the new laws. To qualify as a nuisance, for one, no “conviction, citation or arrest” is required. The only thing required to get landlords involved is “probable cause to believe that the activity occurred.” If police respond to issues at a property three times in 12 months, it can be declared a nuisances.
And, as the law states, the reasons could be one of any hundreds of possible activities, which include, but are not limited to: riots, drunk fights, exotic animal keeping, false fire alarms, selling alcohol to minors, selling too-long pocket knives, playing loud music, blowing off fireworks, burning things, littering, gambling, running your muffler, stunt driving, poor parking and running an illegal massage parlor.
Problem properties included a car wash where people gathered for late-night parties; a downtown apartment complex hosting Airbnbs; and a business that had stunt drivers frequenting its parking lot. (All three complied with the department’s demands, officials said.)
“So now, it’s not just a free-for-all with cars doing donuts anywhere,” Shachner said.
Out of the 14 nuisance properties, all but one worked with Public Safety to deal with whatever was pestering neighbors, Shachner said. Wards 9, 12 and 14 saw the most complaints; Wards 1, 4 and 16 the least.
Polensek, who’s led Council in pursuit of new nuisance laws in the past few years and co-sponsored the original legislation in 2024, was pleased.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” he said. “If you want to terrorize your neighbors, if you want to terrorize your street, there’s gonna be a price to pay.”
Clevelanders can call 911 to report potential nuisances that demand police. For non-emergencies, reports can be made to 216-621-1234, or through their local councilperson, Shachman said.
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