Series Of Copper Thefts Sets Back Property Owner’s Affordable Housing Renovations

A property manager in Green Country is frustrated after a series of property thefts set him back on home renovations that will help people in need of housing.

Robinson Properties buys multi-family homes to renovate them and turn them into affordable housing.

Owner Casey Robinson says recent copper thefts and damages in excess of $60,000 are making it harder for him to keep the units affordable.

Factoring in the cost of construction and time for the needed rehab already puts the units on a 3-to-4-month timeline. The unexpected repairs push them back closer to 6 months and aren't in the initial budget.

It's vacant properties Casey Robinson says he buys to fix up not only for visual appeal but to help others.

The properties are renovated and rented to people who may not have the chance to rent a home on their own.

“A lot of residents that we have have criminal pasts. They have evictions in their past. Really good people. They just need a second chance in life,” Robinson said.

The goal is to keep the units affordable, but recently, that's become a challenge.

Robinson says his properties are falling victim to copper thefts.

“It’s something that’s happened for years and years. We are seeing more of it now. I would say the problem has gotten exponentially worse,” Robinson said.

He says the damage left behind without insurance will cost more than $20,000 to fix.

“It does make it hard, and it makes us think, do we really want to continue on doing this,” Robinson said.

The thefts aren’t isolated to any certain area. In the same week, Robinson says damage to an AC unit for a 10-unit apartment building in Broken Arrow totals more than $40,000. All the copper is gone.

“What they do is they go to some of the local scrapyards,” Robinson said. “Anybody can go multiple times a day with clearly stolen copper and the scrapyards give them cash for copper.”

It's his positivity that helps him through challenges like these along with a bit of admiration.

“If these guys ever want to get out of a life of crime, I would absolutely hire them because they work fast, and they know what they're doing,” Robinson said.

Robinson Properties won't have to cover the full $60,000 in damages. Insurance says it does cover the full costs of replacement, but Robinson says each occurrence ranges between 5-to-10-thousand dollars.

Between the two properties, he says he could be out of a deductible up to $20,000.