UNION TOWNSHIP, Ohio — As temperatures climb across the Midwest during a dangerous heat wave, some residents at a Union Township apartment complex say they have been dealing with another problem for months: broken air conditioning and unanswered maintenance requests.
Tenants at Beechwood Villas in Summerside say several units have gone without working air conditioning since the spring — and one tenant says her system has not worked since October 2025.
For tenant Nevaeh Parsons, a portable air conditioning unit has been the only thing keeping her apartment manageable.
“It doesn’t work,” Parsons said, describing her central air unit. “The temperature does not move.”
Parsons said she first noticed the problem in March when she tried turning on her A/C during warmer days, and the system displayed a “call for service” message. She contacted maintenance and received a portable unit, but said the central system has never been repaired.
She said she has continued to ask for updates but has not received any answers.
WATCH: Tenants say broken A/C leaves apartments hot during dangerous heat wave
“The last time I spoke to somebody about my A/C to get an update was April 1,” Parsons said. “Management told me that they legally had until, quote unquote, April 15 to get our A/C working. Well, here we are in July, and it’s still not working.”
Parsons shared photos of thermostats from other residents’ units showing temperatures reaching around 80 degrees. She said some neighbors — including families with young children and elderly residents — are struggling without cooling.
“It’s supposed to only rise in temperature this week,” Parsons said. “What about the elderly? What about the people? Like, I have a baby myself, you know. I have a health condition where heat intolerance is terrible.”
Another tenant, who asked not to be identified, said she has also been without working heating and air conditioning since October.
“It’s rough,” the tenant said. “Our apartment hasn’t been below 70 in months, and I have a 2-year-old toddler on top of that. It’s pretty rough.”
She said her thermostat recently showed 75 degrees and a “call for service” message.
The tenant said maintenance requests have repeatedly been made, but repairs have not solved the issue.
“They just keep saying that our AC will be serviced, but them servicing it doesn’t do anything,” she said.
The tenant said the situation has forced her family to leave their apartment during the evenings to cool down at a relative’s home.
“We’re having to leave the apartment to go to my mom’s house to kind of cool down in the evenings,” she said.
Parsons said the air conditioning issue is only one of several concerns she has raised with management.
She showed us damage inside her apartment, including a bathroom ceiling she said was damaged after a leak upstairs. Parsons said the leak was repaired, but the ceiling damage remains.
“It started off really small,” Parsons said. “It was just like a small hole … and then it just started crumbling.”
She also said she has dealt with mold, maintenance issues and poor communication with management.
“There’s been nothing,” Parsons said. “It just keeps piling. It just keeps adding.”
Parsons said she worries some residents may not feel comfortable speaking up.
“Some of us may have a voucher,” she said. “Just because we have that does not mean that we just get to be treated like we’re trash.”
We visited the Beechwood Villas leasing office seeking answers. Two staff members inside said they were not permitted to speak with the media and provided a corporate phone number. A call to that number went to voicemail.
Parsons said she wants better communication and for residents to feel like their concerns matter.
“I just want to be able to breathe in my own home,” she said. “I want to be able to use my utilities that I pay for.”
As the heat wave continues, tenants say they are still waiting for repairs — and answers.
