Lang
11/4/22
A judge has determined that an Iowa City landlord defrauded some of his former tenants.
That’s according to an investigative report from KCRG TV-9. Court documents obtained by the television station show Tracy Barkalow illegally withheld security deposits from four former University of Iowa students living at one of his properties on the 900 block of North Dodge Street…then lied about it.
One of the alleged victims reports driving to the offices of her landlord, Big Ten Properties in Coralville, where she was reportedly told by a receptionist that the company had been dissolved.
The state of Iowa lists Barkalow as the owner of Big Ten Properties, although he reportedly told the former tenants that he didn’t work there anymore. KCRG’s research shows Barkalow actually dissolved the company about a month after the alleged victims moved out.
A lawyer for the former UI students told the television station that Barkalow claimed multiple times that he had mailed the checks, but a judge determined that was a lie.
Barkalow claims the former tenants are lying. He also reportedly claimed he no longer rents out properties, although KCRG reports his LLC, T-S-B Holdings, still owns the building and rents out apartments.
Barkalow was forced to pay almost $4,000 to the former tenants and $10,000 in attorney fees.
A link to the KCRG story can be found here: https://www.kcrg.com/2022/11/05/judge-finds-johnson-county-property-manager-illegally-withheld-security-deposit-tenants/