'It’s a conspiracy': Leland House closure is due to an unpaid DTE debt, says residents
Tenants displaced as apartment building shuts down
On Black Friday, Leland Housen residents say they got a letter saying they must move out by Dec. 3 because DTE Energy is planning to turn the power off. This is all over a large unpaid debt. No power means no living inside, especially in the dropping frigid temperatures.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Imagine being told you suddenly have just a few days to move out of your home because of financial problems that have nothing to do with you.
The shocking situation faces more than 30 Detroiters at the Leland House apartment building that’s days away from being closed up.
Big picture view:
On Black Friday, Leland House residents say they got a letter saying they must move out by Dec. 3 because DTE Energy is planning to turn the power off.
This is all over a large unpaid debt. No power means no living inside, especially in the dropping frigid temperatures.
Sources say the owner of the building is behind on several bills and asked for a one-week extension to make a key payment to DTE, only to have the power company decline. The historic apartment complex is right next to DTE’s Headquarters.
Meantime, the City of Detroit says there are other problems with the building. The Law Department confirms getting the green light from a U.S. Bankruptcy judge to move ahead with a state public nuisance action despite the building recently filing Chapter 11.
The issue was the handling of emergency repairs. FOX 2 ran the situation by attorney Issa Haddad, who is unaffiliated with the case, who says this type of situation is quite rare.
"This is a unique situation and I personally think it’s a conspiracy between the current owner and the buyers to avoid filing 40 evictions and giving the tenancy 60 days to move out to the proper channels," said Haddad. "They technically don’t have to move out by December 3, but I don’t think anybody wants to stay if there’s no power to the building. Hopefully DTE has a heart and decides not to cut the power and force there people out. December right before Christmas when it’s really cold out because of nothing of their own faults."
The other side:
So what’s DTE’s take on this? They sent us this statement saying in part:
"While DTE Energy does not disclose customer-specific information, we can share that our goal is always to work with each customer to find a solution before service is impacted. We offer a variety of payment arrangements to help avoid interruptions and put customers on a sustainable path forward."