NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — My reporting on a controversial and potentially fraudulent property management company has sparked action across four counties and caught the attention of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Now, lawmakers are in the fact-finding stage to potentially make state-level changes to better protect homeowners.
State Representative Caleb Hemmer, who represents parts of Davidson County, learned about Gasser Property Management and the potential widespread theft and fraud from my reporting. As constituents began reaching out to share their experiences, Hemmer realized the scope of the problem.
"After NewsChannel 5's reporting, I found out a lot from constituents who started reaching out to me, letting me know about their situation," State Rep. Hemmer said.
As an outgoing lawmaker who is not seeking re-election, Hemmer wants to leave the state in better shape by working with lawmakers across the aisle, interested groups and industry leaders to better protect homeowners. He is exploring giving the state Department of Commerce and Insurance the ability to regulate property managers.
My investigation uncovered that Gasser managed communities across four counties, in which I discovered instances of lapsed insurance policies, hundreds of thousands of dollars of missing money and frozen accounts due to fraudulent activity. Enough complaints and police reports were filed to escalate the case to the TBI, which is now investigating Gasser on criminal charges.
Through records requests, I found Gasser Property Management wasn't licensed to do business in any of the four counties it claimed to manage properties. Despite being tasked with managing millions in HOA dues, property managers aren't regulated by the state — they're only required to keep active business licenses.
"Was there anything about this story, about this whole process as it was unfolding, that was just surprising to you?" I asked State Rep. Hemmer.
"Yeah, I think it was surprising how little regulation was on this very niche industry, but also very important," State Rep. Hemmer said. "I think, unfortunately, a light has to be shined on this thing that happened in this industry right now so we can prevent it from ever happening again."
State Rep. Hemmer emphasized the need for comprehensive regulation in the property management industry.
"How do we fix these holes? How do we better strengthen our law to protect homeowners?" State Rep. Hemmer said. "You think of all the regulations within real estate, mortgage brokers, etc. They're all licensed. They're all regulated by the state of Tennessee. This is an area that is not regulated. You see the negative things that can happen when you have bad actors with fraudulent activity."
Because Gasser Property Management went unchecked, the TBI is now investigating the company for criminal charges related to insurance policies allowed to expire, accounts frozen due to fraudulent activity and more than $1 million missing in HOA dues.
When asked if he could tackle this legislative challenge alone, Hemmer acknowledged the need for broader support.
"Can you do this alone and bring it through the legislature to get a state law passed? Will it require some more help, more conversation?" I asked.
"Yes, I think one of the things we're doing right now is fact-finding, trying to find what our best practice is," State Rep. Hemmer said. "This should be bipartisan. This has happened in Democratic and Republican representative areas, and no one likes to have fraud happen to them."
State Rep. Hemmer wants to work with Republican lawmakers and recommends that affected communities and constituents in other counties reach out to their lawmakers as well. He said homeowners should keep using their voices and demand change from lawmakers that will better protect them.
"We want to make sure this situation never happens again," State Rep. Hemmer said.
State Rep. Hemmer said he'll be working on this until bill filing in mid-January. He also encouraged homeowners, especially those in affected Gasser communities, to reach out to their lawmakers to share their experiences and advocate for change.
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
