Despite tickets and arrest warrant, Detroit landlord continues to ignore tenants

DETROIT (WJBK) - A mess was bound to happen because the ceiling in Rhonda Jones' apartment had been leaking for months, thanks to a bad roof.

She and her fiance have not even been in their apartment six months yet but have encountered a number of problems: from rodents to mold to more water leaks.

"When we came in from the laundromat Tuesday night it just like busted open and water everywhere," says Rhonda Jones. "Then the floor is messed up here from the tub leaking.

"I ended up having to go to the hospital because I'm asthmatic, I cannot breathe that stuff."

Call it life at the Granada Gardens Apartments on Greenfield south of Fenkell. And if that name rings a bell, FOX 2 exposed the place back in January because there was no heat here for about a week.

Fast forward nine months, and tenants like Rhonda say they're still dealing with issues in their apartments and an unresponsive property manager and landlord.

"We can't just keep on hunting you down and keep on telling you about the same problems over and over again, and have you come off like with an attitude like we owe you something or it's coming out of your pocket," Jones says.

No one answered when FOX 2 stopped by the leasing office Thursday. Our calls were not yet returned.

"If you've got a leaking roof and they've got water coming through their kitchen and you're going to keep ignoring the tenants and ignoring us, we're going to make you pay," says David Bell, the director of Detroit's Building Department. He says while the city has a number of good landlords it also has its fair share of slumlords, and the guy who owns Granada Gardens fits the bill.

"This guy had at least $4,000 worth of tickets this year," Bell said. "He's got a bench warrant out for his arrest and now we're going to step it up. We're going to take him to court. We're going to get with the law department first thing tomorrow and we're going to look at our options of suing this man."

If you're having legitimate issues with the apartment or house you're renting and they're not being addressed, you may want to call the City of Detroit's rental complaint hotline at 313-628-2451.