Covenant House

Pros

• None found in the provided reviews.

Cons

• They feel unsafe due to lurkers in the hallways, rude neighbors, constant door slamming, and frequent fights.
• The property is infested with bedbugs, roaches, spiders, and mold, with sewer odors permeating the building.
• The apartments are in disrepair (holes in walls, damaged cabinets, broken doors, bathroom floors) and not properly prepped for new tenants.
• Management is unstable and unresponsive, with frequent turnover, little office presence, and poor communication about payments.
• The building is not secure; unauthorized individuals can enter.
• Hot water is rarely available.
• Photos online do not reflect the current condition; the building is dirty and poorly maintained, leading some to call for it to be shut down.

Review

The Covenant House in Toledo, Ohio, is described by many residents as a place where safety and basic living standards feel out of reach. The building is portrayed as an environment where you rarely feel protected or comfortable, with a constant sense that trouble lurks in the hallways and stairwells. One recurring image is a setting that feels perpetually unsettled: doors slamming day and night, rude behavior from neighbors, and a general mood of vigilance that never quite eases. The sense of security is consistently called into question, with complaints that anyone can walk in and that the structure isn't adequately controlled or monitored. For families, the sentiment is especially alarming; several reviews emphasize that it is not safe for children, who are described as running around unsupervised while adults argue, smoke, or engage in loud, disruptive activity.

A strong thread throughout the accounts concerns persistent sanitation and pest problems. Bedbugs, roaches, and even spiders are repeatedly described as pervasive, affecting every unit according to some reviewers. Mold and general dampness are also cited, along with strong, pervasive odors that seep into living spaces. The environment around the building compounds these problems: hallways and stairwells are described as dirty, with trash or refuse sometimes trapped in the building's infrastructure. The situation is worsened by the constant smoke in the units, which stains walls yellow and creates a heavy, lingering scent that tenants say seeps into showers and clothes. A particularly shocking detail is the reported sewer backups that occasionally force a surge of sewer odor up through the first floor, as if the entire building were permeated by a waste smell. Taken together, tenants describe a living space that feels unhealthy and unsanitary on multiple fronts.

Maintenance and apartment quality are another major source of dissatisfaction. Several reviews accuse management of neglect or incompetence: cabinets falling apart, holes in walls and doors, and bathrooms that feel unfinished or poorly repaired. Tenants claim that units aren't properly prepped for new residents, and that repairs can take an inordinate amount of time or simply never happen. Coupled with the pest and odor problems, the condition of the apartments themselves is described as a far cry from what advertisers portray. Photos of the building are said to be outdated or inaccurate, creating a sense of deception around what new residents should expect. In short, the interior experience - trash in the chutes, peeling fixtures, and a sense that the building's upkeep priority is on the outside rather than the lived-in spaces - contributes to a pervasive impression of neglect.

The social and behavioral climate inside the Covenant House is depicted as volatile and poorly managed. Instances of loud music, fights, smoking, and drug activity contribute to an atmosphere that many feel is unsafe, particularly for families and children. Some reviewers note police presence and frequent disturbances, painting a picture of a community where routine safety concerns are part of daily life. The combination of alcohol or drug use and a lack of reliable security or on-site staffing amplifies anxieties about staying in the building, and several accounts imply that residents often fear for their personal safety or their possessions. The complaint that fire alarms can be pulled by adults or children, causing unnecessary disruptions and creating doubt about real emergencies, adds to the sense of systemic disorder.

Management and organizational stability emerge as a central point of frustration. Reviewers repeatedly describe a revolving door of management or inconsistent oversight, with claims that the office is rarely staffed or responsive. The perception is that corporate offices are distant and unhelpful, leaving tenants with few effective channels to address payments, repairs, or safety concerns. The possibility of lawsuits, or ongoing legal actions, is mentioned by some as a reason to question the future viability of the property. In practice, this translates into a feeling that tenants' needs are deprioritized, and that when problems are acknowledged, there is little follow-through or accountability. Some residents express a wish for the property to be shut down, implying that the ongoing governance issues make it untenable as a housing option.

A recurring theme is the mismatch between what is advertised and what is experienced. Several accounts point to false advertising, suggesting that the beautiful exterior, communal spaces, or interior photos shown online do not resemble the actual conditions inside the building. The emphasis on aesthetic improvements to the exterior, while problems inside persist, reinforces a sense of misrepresentation. When combined with the claims of unsafe conditions, poor pest control, and unreliable maintenance, the overall impression is that the Covenant House has not delivered on essential expectations for safe, livable housing.

Taken together, the reviews tell a story of a building that many tenants would not recommend for families or anyone seeking reliable, comfortable housing. The consistent concerns about safety, cleanliness, pest infestations, and maintenance delays, plus the sense of organizational instability and misrepresentation, contribute to a bleak overall assessment. For residents who have experienced this environment, the sentiment is clear: this is not a place they would choose again, and many would urge others to look elsewhere or seek substantive changes before considering occupancy.

Cafes

• Grindhrs (0.4 miles)
• Tim Hortons (2.7 miles)
• BREW coffee bar (4.7 miles)
• SIP Coffee (4.8 miles)
• Starbucks (4.9 miles)

Hospitals

• St Jude Children's Hospital (0.6 miles)
• St Charles Mercy Hospital (2.8 miles)
• Mh St Charles Op Pharm (2.9 miles)
• Toledo Hospital Labor & Delivery (3.4 miles)
• Toledo Hospital 7th Floor SICU (3.4 miles)
• ProMedica Toledo Hospital (3.5 miles)
• Toledo Hospital Breast Care (3.5 miles)

Parks

• Promenade Park (0.6 miles)
• Harold Boeschenstein Park (0.7 miles)
• Middlegrounds Metropark (0.9 miles)
• Navarre Park (2 miles)
• Oak Shade Hall & Picnic Grove (3.6 miles)
• Walbridge Park (4 miles)
• Pearson Metropark (4.9 miles)

Restaurants

• Chevy's Place (0.7 miles)
• Hamburger Marys (0.7 miles)
• Ye Olde Cock N Bull (0.8 miles)
• Ye Olde Durty Bird (0.8 miles)
• Tin Can Bar (0.8 miles)
• Packo's at the Park (0.8 miles)
• Spaghetti Warehouse (0.9 miles)

Pharmacies

• Rite Aid (0.9 miles)
• Walgreens (1.7 miles)
• Rite Aid (2 miles)
• Health Mart Pharmacy (2.4 miles)
• Mercy Outpatient Pharmacies (2.8 miles)
• Rite Aid (3 miles)
• Kroger Food and Pharmacy (3.4 miles)

Physicians

• Mercy Health - Franklin Avenue Pediatrics (0.9 miles)
• Toledo Cardiology Consultants (1 miles)
• Mercy Diabetes Education (1 miles)
• Mercy Family Physicians-Mercy Campus (1.1 miles)
• St Charles Mercy Hospital (2 miles)
• Mercy Family Care Navarre Park: Linares Claudio E MD (2 miles)
• Mercy Family Physicians Phillips Avenue (2.8 miles)

Transportation

• Martin Luther King, Jr Plaza (1.5 miles)

Places of Worship

• Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (1.9 miles)
• Corpus Christi University Parish (4.3 miles)