City officials condemned the McLure Hotel in downtown Wheeling this week, leaving tenants of the apartments inside scrambling to find new places to stay. (File Photo)

WHEELING — Following the recent condemnation of the McLure Hotel and apartments, displaced tenants are seeking answers and new places to live.

The Ohio County Department of Health shut down the hotel portion of the building last week, with the city’s Building and Planning Department condemning the apartment portion a day later.

Officials have cited safety concerns like mold, sewage leaks, broken fire alarms and issues with the elevators as some of the reasons for the closures. Tenants were given notice Friday that they had to be out of the property by noon Monday.

According to several renters, some families were able to find another place. Some are now staying with friends or family. Others have slept in cars or shelters or hotels.

David Estep, supervising attorney at Wheeling’s Legal Aid branch, said that if a landlord fails to uphold their responsibility of providing a livable environment, tenants can open a lawsuit.

Estep was unable to speak specifically to the situation at the McLure, but said generally when there are unsafe or unclean living conditions, tenants can be compensated if they are able to prove damages.

Fifty-one-year-old Chrissy Shoulders paid rent for her one-bedroom unit just days before the building was condemned. She is now sleeping in a friend’s basement until she can find another spot — an unexpected cost for which she was not prepared.

Shoulders had been living in the McLure since June and specifically selected it because of its location and history. She said she quickly fell in love with the building and put hours of work into renovating her “dream apartment.”

Shoulders said McLure owner Frances Garey would take money off of the $900 rent for the repairs Shoulders was doing to her unit, like ripping up layers of old carpet and scrubbing every inch of the one bedroom apartment with a wire brush.

“I put a lot of work into it and made it a home,” she said.

While the space was dirty when she moved in and she noticed bugs when renovating, Shoulders said bigger issues in the building were not apparent to her.

The McLure was not without its red flags though, she said, like the front desk having a revolving door of managers during her time there. Shoulders said she paid rent to three different office managers.

Shoulders also never signed an official lease and had been paying her rent with her debit card each month at the front desk. She said this was the case for many tenants.

This is referred to as a month-to-month tenancy, and means the living agreement can be terminated by either the landlord or tenant with the notice of one rental period, Estep said.

While these types of agreements are fairly common, they are not necessarily best practices for either party, he said.

Shoulders said she requested a more official document than the handwritten copy she had been handed and refused to sign, but never received one.

Several tenants have said they have received no direct communication from Garey, only from building employees and the posted signs.

Landlords “always do so much research into us. Maybe we need to do research on landlords, Shoulders said. “Maybe we need to do background checks on them as well. I blindly trusted someone that I shouldn’t have, I suppose.”

This is not the first time the historic building that once hosted presidents has faced issues. Just earlier this year, it shut down for several days due to problems with the boiler.

Now, the next steps for the building remain unclear.

Some tenants said they saw Garey sitting in her vehicle in the parking lot as they moved belongings out on Monday.

Garey has not responded to multiple requests for comment. Attempts to reach her via email have bounced back.

Tenants seeking legal information can visit the West Virginia Legal Aid website to learn more about their rights and determine next steps.

“You’re your best advocate if you do it the right way,” Estep said.