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MAY 17, 2024 HOUSING Tenant Talk: Fool me twice, shame on monopoly landlords — still! AJ STANDISH Groundcover contributor Ypsilanti is a city where around 70% of the population rent a place to live. It’s also a city where the rental market has been monopolized by one rental company in particular that is notorious in the community for being exploitative and lazy about all maintenance and care. The company, which I won’t name here, buys older houses and buildings but refuses to maintain them, forcing tenants to put up with terrible conditions with little to no maintenance or response. I spoke to one tenant, who I’ll call Crawford, about their experiences with renting from this company. Crawford has lived in two of the company’s apartments. The first thing they noticed in their first apartment was that the walls were shaped very abnormally. “On the day that I moved in, [the walls] were probably bulging out from the wall about two inches at the max length, like, it was substantial, it was a huge breakage, it was probably six feet by four feet tall, and it was right up in the bedroom,” Crawford said. “And I made note of it, and I sent pictures to my landlord. And [it was] total radio silence, they didn't tell me if the service request had been even received.” Crawford’s apartment was directly above the building's laundry room. They said that mold was a huge concern along with the sagging walls, and that the entire unit, floor to ceiling, was wet to the touch. During their time there, they lived in fear that something would happen within the walls, a burst pipe, or the walls finally giving way to the bowing. Already overwhelmed with these concerns, Crawford started to notice scurrying and crawling noises. “I found out that there were mice all over the apartment. And there was actually a hole below the radiator that they had been coming in. And out of that was just a place that was missing a slot. And I had made note of it and sent in a service request and did not receive any communication back.” As the year went on, Crawford was having a really dark time. One ray of light for them was adopting a cat who lived outdoors with a cat colony, who they named Jane. Crawford says that Jane adopted them, not the other way around. Taking care of Jane and developing their bond was a distraction from the day to day stressors of living in their apartment. For example, when winter came, things got very cold. “December is about when I found out that my radiator didn't even turn on. It was there, it wouldn't work. And my bedroom had no heat source. It looked like there used to be a radiator, you could feel the stubs where they cut it and welded it off. But there was no heat source in my room,” Crawford said. I’m only scratching the surface of the issues Crawford faced in their first apartment in this article. Their next one, about a year and a new cat later, was managed by the same rental company. It contained a whole new variety of issues. First, their entire kitchen floor was covered in mold. It became a daily routine, scrubbing mold off the floor with bleach after working long hours everyday while trying to repair other things in the apartment. At the sane time, Crawford was taking care of a new sick cat and trying to look after the first one, who was getting sicker, having contracted an illness from the new cat. Despite their efforts keeping the two apart, and doing their best with the mold, Jane got very sick, to the point where Crawford was afraid she would need to be put down. These worries were intensified when, in response to a roach issue, the rental company put poison all over the floors. “She was especially fragile because she had gotten to a point where I almost had to euthanize her and I ended up having to spend $3,500 just to keep her. And the leasing company was aware, they were aware she was immunocompromised.” Crawford had sent an email to the company informing them of Jane’s condition, but they didn’t listen. “These little white tablets that I still find and it has been half of a year. These little white tablets that are roach poison, and these little roach traps. And I was talking to the people who live in a different apartment. And they're like, yeah, our dog ate some. And I found [my cats] playing with them. And this is the, you know, this is something, this is a poison, that it's toxic. Like it will make them sick.” Around the time their cat was very sick, Crawford decided to pursue veterinary medicine, stating this horrible experience as a “driving force.” “Actually it was part of what got me into veterinary medicine was her getting sick and being like, I respect the people that are saving my cat’s life right now.” Another glaring health hazard in the second apartment is the presence of several squirrels’ nests in the roof, right above Crawford’s bed. Every night they fall asleep to the echo of scurrying squirrels. “Squirrels live in that insulation, and they've been building nests over top of my bed and the slats there are shifting. And now there's a gap where squirrel feces and bedding is falling into my bed.” Finally, the rental company responded to Crawford and the slats were patched up with caulk in a way that was ineffective. The cherry on top of the squirrel horror story happened when one of the squirrels fell through the slats, and ended up stuck in the wall. Due to the lack of response from the rental company, Crawford was forced to listen to the squirrel struggle to climb back up for days and days, until it eventually died. As it decomposed in the wall, Crawford’s apartment smelled like rotting meat. Again, there was no response from the rental company. Crawford works 50+ hours a week as a vet tech, for only 16 dollars an hour. Both of these apartments cost them about $1,000 monthly, so they had to work constantly just to afford moldy, cold, poisonous, rodent-infested and broken living quarters. Trying to bring some brightness to the situation, Crawford planted several plants outside, all of which were weedwacked by the rental company. Crawford’s story is one of very, very many in the Ypsilanti area. This rental company is risking people’s lives, gambling with severe health concerns, dangerous maintenance negligence, and complete disregard for the health and safety of tenants who rent from them. People shouldn’t have to battle water damage, rodents, dying squirrels, and parts of squirrel nest in their bed. Nobody should have to contemplate euthanizing their cat, their best friend, because of health concerns created by the people in charge of their housing. GROUNDCOVER NEWS What’s Happening at the Ann Arbor District Library Open 10am–8pm Daily Hang out in any of our five locations across town, browsing books, magazines, newspapers, and more, or check out movies, CDs, art prints, musical instruments, and home tools— you name it! Study and meeting rooms, fast and free WiFi, and plenty of places to sit and hang out. Unusual Stuff to Borrow There’s more to borrow at AADL than books, music, and movies. To name a few, there are games, telescopes, stories-to-go kits, and home tools. Check out these unusual yet handy items during your next library visit. Book Clubs To Go Book Clubs To Go is a service available at each AADL location that provides the convenience of complete kits for book discussions. Inside, you’ll find 10 copies of the featured book, one movie DVD, and a resource folder. Request a kit today through the online catalog or by calling (734) 327-4200. FEATURED EVENT Saturday, June 15 & Sunday, June 16 • 10am–6pm Downtown Library A2CAF (Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival) is a two-day extravaganza for comic lovers of all ages; featuring workshops, art activities, and one-on-one interactions between comics readers and makers. Join us at the Downtown Library to explore a packed artist alley, hear from renowned authors and illustrators, and get creative with quick drawing sessions, face painting, and so much more! Check out the full schedule of A2CAF events at aadl.org/a2caf. 5

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