CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — A local landlord has been sentenced to house arrest in one of his own apartment buildings. It follows dozens of city violations dating back to 2022, inspections, and a criminal case for failure to comply in January.
Cleveland Heights landlord John Tsironis said he has owned a building on Mayfield Road since the 1980s. He also owns housing properties in Little Italy and a storefront in Lorain but said the Mayfield Road building has brought challenges.
“I have problems with the steam on the ground and stuff coming up through the cement,” said Tsironis.
He told News 5 he has cancer, complicating his ability to take care of the building.
“I’ve been going back and forth between chemotherapy and radiation,” said Tsironis.
Public records show tenants have filed complaints through the Cleveland Heights Municipal Court. After a 2022 city inspection of the building, Tsironis had nearly 100 violations throughout the entire building, from common areas to almost every unit.
A court document shows that Tsironis made some repairs, but not all.
The city filed a criminal case against him for his failure to comply in January.
Tsironis paid his fine in June, and the judge suspended a 180-day jail sentence. But on Dec. 12, the judge revolved his probations for violations and immediate inspections of all units, and on Monday Tsironis was sentenced to 60 days of house arrest at the Mayfield Road building. He said he does not believe the judge was unfair.
“Not really, that’s his job, whatever he wants to do,” said Tsironis. “He came and looked at it, he didn’t like what he saw, and that’s his opinion.”
A tenant who didn’t want to go on camera showed News 5 his living conditions right across from the boiler room. He said he’s worked with Tsironis to try and make some of the needed repairs but wishes the city stepped in sooner.
“There’s a lot of things that need to be fixed in my apartment, but I am not worried about it, I am more worried about him getting everything else done first,” said the tenet. “He’s a good person, he tries to help people, and a lot of these tenets, myself included, haven’t given him any money in months.”
Tsironis said he has to start evicting tenants so he can get to work following court orders.
“What I am doing right now, I am evicting all the people that don’t have electricity and are behind on their rent,” said Tsironis. “It’s easier to redo an apartment when no one is in there.”
News 5 reached out to the Cleveland Heights Law Department for comment, and they said, “Unfortunately, the underlying Housing Court case—aside from the probation violation—is still pending, so the City of Cleveland Heights cannot comment at this time.”
