Leland House, DTE reach final deal to keep power on and tenants at home

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A final deal has been reached in the battle to keep a downtown Detroit apartment complex open and 40 tenants from losing their homes. 

What they're saying:

The Leland House has come to an agreement with DTE to pay $57,000 for an outstanding bill by Dec. 8, ensuring that DTE does not turn off the power and shut down the historic apartment building. 

On Tuesday, the owners agreed to pay DTE $43,000 to settle its unpaid debt over electrical bills.

The last-minute development comes a day before residents would have been required to leave the complex. 

A hearing was scheduled for Dec. 4 to resolve the case where the court approved the $57,000 deposit.

The Leland released a statement after the deal was reached:

"Several people worked tirelessly in a very short period of time to obtain the financing for the Leland and to do everything possible to make sure the residents had electricity in their apartments. Harmon Partners in Birmingham was instrumental in the process and without them this could not have been possible. The attorney for the Leland House, Ryan Heilman also worked day and night to do a tremendous amount of work needed. Ownership looks forward to doing everything possible to keep the residents in place, and protect their health, safety and welfare."

The backstory:

About 40 tenants in one of Detroit's most historic buildings received a notice after Thanksgiving about orders to move out of The Leland. 

The letter was sent after the owners said they had exhausted all other options. In the notice, residents were told they would have to be out by Dec. 3 because that was when DTE planned to shut off the power.

According to Detroit's law department, the city has been negotiating with the property's owners in bankruptcy court.

The owners missed a deadline to make emergency repairs, which initiated a public nuisance action.