CINCINNATI — Residents at The Evanston Apartments are demanding answers after being told they are behind on rent, alleging a former property manager with Touchstone Property Services pocketed their payments.
We first reported on the topic last week after speaking to tenants who said they were receiving eviction notices.
Marvin Barnes, who moved into the complex in late 2024, said the former property manager instructed him to sign blank money orders.
"When I first moved in, I paid with my money orders. He told me not to fill out all of the information because I didn’t know what to put down," Barnes said.
Months later, Barnes said he discovered the money orders were made out to the property manager's name instead of Touchstone or the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority.
We have confirmed that the property management employee residents spoke about has not worked for any CMHA properties since December 2025. Cincinnati City Council member Meeka Ownes told us the Cincinnati Police Department is involved in an investigation into the employee.
"CPD is involved, and so by that, what we also can do is make sure that we’re leveraging our legal partners in this work. Which is why legal aid is so critical to these types of issues," Owens said.
WATCH: What's in place to protect Cincinnati renters?
We asked CMHA about the status of an investigation and what is being done to protect residents.
In a statement, CMHA said the notices residents received were to provide them with an opportunity to "correct the situation or come and speak to property management about their situation." The housing authority also confirmed an investigation is ongoing.
CMHA said all information has been turned over to Cincinnati police on "the actions of a former property manager."
In an effort to protect residents, CMHA has digitized all payments for properties managed by Touchstone Property Services since January 2026.
Despite the ongoing situation, residents say they are being left in the dark.
"After 10 days, we’re supposed to get some type of you know, where the investigation is at … we received nothing," Barnes said.
Owens is encouraging the standardization of payments and pushing renters to take advantage of city resources like the Cincinnati Tenants' Guide.
"I really encourage people to get (the guide) in their hand, utilize it. We worked a long time to get this to a place that included stakeholders, even housing providers in this work," Owens said.
You can view the full Cincinnati Tenants' Guide below:
The housing authority also said residents can come to the property management office Tuesday to discuss any rent issues from 8 a.m. to noon.
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