CINCINNATI — Better lease agreements could be coming to thousands of local tenants now that the City of Cincinnati and VineBrook Homes have settled a 17-month-old legal dispute.
The city sued VineBrook in January 2023, claiming it failed to honor a 2021 promise to take better care of the single-family properties it acquired all over the city.
VineBrook countered with its own arguments that the city was trying to “shake it down for money.”
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The settlement, announced in a joint press release Tuesday, is an attempt to “reset” the relationship between the city and the institutional investor, which owns more than 3,000 single-family homes in Hamilton County.
"We are pleased to reach this resolution after productive communication and coordination with the VineBrook team,” Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long said. “Our work here advances the city's goal of ensuring access to quality and affordable housing for our residents.”
VineBrook co-founder Dana Sprong said the agreement enables “our long-standing mission of providing safe, clean and functional homes to our residents at affordable prices.”
The settlement requires VineBrook to modify its leases to make it clear what maintenance costs renters must cover and whether additional rent may be charged for repairs to the property. The city agreed to modify its inspection practices to make it easier for VineBrook to establish that its properties are in compliance with city codes.
Both sides will be monitored by a third-party property manager at VineBrook’s expense to ensure compliance with the agreement. Both sides have agreed not to disparage each other in the future and submit to arbitration if future disputes arise.
