‘Quincy Unfiltered’ Draws Growing Attention as Resident Turns Years-Old Rental Dispute Into Housing Watchdog Effort
Aaron Coffman says his experience with a Quincy rental property and frustration with the city’s housing complaint process inspired a new Facebook page where residents are sharing photographs and accounts of rental conditions across the community.
QUINCY, Ill. What began several years ago as one Quincy man’s dispute over a rental property has grown into a social media effort drawing attention to the condition of some rental housing throughout the city.
Quincy resident Aaron Coffman created the Facebook page called Quincy Unfiltered, where he has begun documenting housing concerns, sharing photographs submitted by residents and encouraging tenants to speak publicly about their experiences with landlords and the City of Quincy’s inspection process.
The page has attracted considerable interest. Coffman said more than 100 people joined during a recent one-week period, with some members contributing their own photographs and accounts involving rental properties.
His stated objective is straightforward, although frequently expressed in blunt terms. Coffman believes poor housing conditions in Quincy deserve greater public attention, and he remains deeply dissatisfied with how he says his own housing dispute was handled several years ago.
He has also accused local media of failing to adequately expose the problem.
Those assertions represent Coffman’s opinions and should not be interpreted as evidence that city officials, landlords or news organizations have intentionally concealed housing violations.
What is independently documented is that Coffman’s own encounter with Quincy’s rental housing system dates back to at least 2022 and became public enough that he eventually appeared before the Quincy City Council.
A Rental That Coffman Says He Never Moved Into
Coffman’s frustration traces back to a house at 1610 Ohio Street.
In 2022, Coffman and his fiancée were searching for a rental property and ultimately signed a lease on the house after viewing it while work was still being completed.
Contemporary reporting documented that the couple paid more than $2,300 before receiving the keys. Coffman subsequently said they discovered conditions that included insects, damaged flooring and suspected mold and decided the property was not suitable for them to occupy.
Coffman maintains today that he and his family never actually moved into the house.
After becoming concerned about its condition, he contacted the City of Quincy and filed a minimum housing complaint.
A city inspection followed.
The landlord subsequently refunded Coffman’s deposit and released him from the lease, according to reporting at the time. Coffman says most, although not all, of the money he had paid was ultimately returned. A portion of the money he believes remains unresolved involves utility expenses rather than rent or deposit funds. Coffman said the electricity and water accounts for the property had been placed in his name in anticipation of moving in, but because he says he ultimately never occupied the residence, he believes those charges should have been the landlord’s responsibility.
The immediate rental dispute ended.
His concerns about Quincy housing did not.
Taking the Issue to City Hall
Coffman later appeared before the Quincy City Council alongside housing advocates to discuss the experience and broader concerns surrounding rental properties.
His involvement in the issue has continued well beyond that initial dispute.
City Council records show Coffman was still appearing before aldermen as recently as October 2024, when minutes recorded him telling the council that state housing laws exist and that residents should be able to rely on the city’s Inspection Department.
Coffman says one of the moments that continues to shape his frustration occurred when he initially contacted city government about the Ohio Street property.
In a recent Quincy Unfiltered post, Coffman alleged that former city official Warren Dietrich referred to him as a “whiner” while he was attempting to raise his concerns.
Quincy Current has not independently verified that conversation and is not presenting Coffman’s description of the alleged remark as an established fact.
For Coffman, however, the experience became symbolic of what he believes is a larger problem involving the way renters are sometimes treated when they complain about housing conditions.
‘Quincy Unfiltered’
Years later, Coffman is attempting to turn that frustration into something broader.
Quincy Unfiltered has increasingly become a clearinghouse for residents who want to share photographs or descriptions of properties they believe are poorly maintained.
Coffman has been explicit that he intends the page to be confrontational when necessary.
In introducing himself to new members, he wrote that he created the group because he believes Quincy residents need to see how the city’s housing inspection system operates and because he does not believe his own story has previously been presented fairly.
He has also attempted to distinguish between legitimate housing complaints and situations in which tenants themselves may contribute to property damage.
Coffman acknowledged in his post that not every tenant is honest or responsible and contrasted his experiences with different landlords, saying he has dealt with property owners whom he believes treated him respectfully as well as others with whom he had serious disagreements.
Photographs showing a damaged or unsanitary rental property do not, standing alone, establish who caused the condition, how long it existed, whether the landlord knew about it or whether repairs were underway.
Quincy Current would therefore independently verify specific complaints before identifying an individual property owner or presenting allegations made through the Facebook group as fact.
Rental Housing Has Been a Recurring Quincy Debate
Coffman’s concerns are emerging against a much larger and longstanding discussion over rental housing in Quincy.
In 2023, WGEM examined the city’s rental inspection system after reporting on properties with significant structural and safety concerns. Then-Mayor Mike Troup said the vast majority of Quincy property owners followed existing rules, while housing advocates argued that stronger oversight was needed for properties where problems persisted.
The same reporting illustrated one of the central issues in Quincy’s system.
The city already maintains minimum housing standards, but inspections of occupied rental properties are generally complaint-driven rather than automatically conducted on every rental unit at regular intervals.
The City of Quincy currently provides a Minimum Housing Complaint Form through its Inspection and Enforcement Department. Residents can submit complaints when they believe a property does not meet applicable housing standards.
City officials have previously emphasized that tenants must communicate with inspectors during that process.
In 2023, Inspection and Enforcement Director Michael Seaver said the city had seen increased use of its digital complaint form but sometimes had difficulty reconnecting with tenants after the initial complaint was submitted.
Housing advocates have countered that renters can sometimes be reluctant to pursue complaints because they fear conflict with their landlord or losing their housing.
That tension has helped keep the question of rental inspection policy alive for years.
When Social Media Becomes a Housing Complaint Board
Quincy Unfiltered introduces another element into that debate.
Instead of beginning with City Hall, tenants can now post directly to other residents.
That can produce visibility almost immediately.
It can also create complications.
A social media post can draw hundreds or thousands of views before a landlord has been contacted, an inspection has occurred or the underlying facts have been established.
For that reason, allegations made on Quincy Unfiltered should not automatically be treated as verified housing violations.
Coffman appears comfortable with that tension. His broader argument is that residents who believe they have exhausted other options deserve somewhere to make their concerns visible.
His posts suggest he sees public exposure as a means of creating pressure for action.
The early response indicates at least some Quincy residents are interested in participating.
Members have begun sharing their own experiences and photographs, while others are following simply to see what the page uncovers.
A Debate About More Than Bad Landlords
The broader housing issue is more complicated than a narrative of tenants against landlords.
Quincy has responsible property owners who maintain rental homes and apartments, and previous local reporting has documented landlords expressing concern that additional regulations could impose costs on responsible operators because of problems associated with a comparatively small number of properties.
Tenants can also damage properties, fail to report problems or create conditions that are not attributable to a landlord.
At the same time, documented cases of deteriorated rental housing have repeatedly raised questions about whether Quincy’s existing complaint-driven system is sufficient to identify serious problems before residents are living in unsafe conditions.
Those competing realities are precisely why individual cases require documentation rather than assumptions.
Turning an Old Dispute Into a Public Campaign
For Coffman, the issue remains personal.
He believes his experience demonstrated how quickly a renter can hand over thousands of dollars and then discover that a property does not match expectations.
He also believes his subsequent dealings with City Hall exposed weaknesses in the way complaints are received and handled.
The landlord involved in Coffman’s 2022 dispute ultimately refunded his deposit and released him from the lease following the city inspection.
More than four years later, Coffman is no longer simply asking for his own situation to be addressed.
He is asking other Quincy residents to show him theirs.
Whether Quincy Unfiltered develops into a lasting housing watchdog effort or simply becomes another active community Facebook group remains to be seen.
Its rapid early growth, however, suggests Coffman has touched an issue that continues to resonate with at least a portion of Quincy’s rental community.
For residents who want to file an official complaint rather than, or in addition to, posting publicly, the City of Quincy continues to accept minimum housing complaints through its Inspection and Enforcement Department.
Coffman’s approach is considerably less formal.
He wants people to take pictures, tell their stories and put conditions they encounter before the public.
After years of trying to make his own housing dispute heard, he has now built a platform intended to make it easier for others to do the same.
