AKRON, Ohio — It’s the place where Drew Linardi lost so much.

“It’s just surreal looking at the fire report; it brought back some memories of that day,” Linardi said. 

That’s why Linardi believes he’s owed far more than just an apology. 

“When you lose everything, and you have to figure out your entire life all over again, there’s so much there that you don’t have the answer to,” Linardi said. 

Back in February, a fire tore through building 24 of the Timber Top Apartments in Akron for nearly four hours; fire officials deemed the building uninhabitable and condemned it, leaving dozens of residents displaced.

Linardi, who said he lost nearly $12,000 worth of belongings, said he was hopeful he’d be okay because he took the rental insurance through the apartment, but unfortunately, states a resident is still required to maintain personal liability coverage and the apartment would not be responsible for damages to personal property. 

“For them not only to advertise and sell an insurance policy that doesn’t cover their tenants when they sign up for it and then expect those individuals post-fire to buy out their lease is just insane,” Linardi said.

We asked a Cleveland Civil Attorney, Tera Coleman, about any options for Linardi. Coleman said it depends on the cause of the fire and who is responsible.

“If the fire is because of negligence on part of the landlord, then they could ultimately be responsible for damages of your personal property even if that’s not covered in your renter’s insurance,” Coleman said. 

But at this point, the Akron Fire Department still hasn’t revealed a cause; we reached out for an update and haven’t heard back. 

Linardi is urging anyone impacted by the fire without insurance to seek legal counsel.

“There is a responsibility of the leasing office and property group to disclose that to these individuals prior to offering a renters insurance policy,” Linardi said.

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