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Leland House to pay DTE debt to keep tenants in place
After an emergency court hearing the Leland House owners and DTE reached an agreement that will allow for an outstanding utility bill to be paid and for tenants to remain in their homes. More than three dozen tenants were going to be forced to move if this agreement was not reached.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The owners of Leland House, an apartment complex in Downtown Detroit, are expected to pay a $57,000 deposit to DTE on Monday, after tenants learned they may lose their homes over an outstanding balance carried by the building.
They have until 5 p.m. to pay the deposit with money secured through financing.
The backstory:
Just after Thanksgiving, around 40 tenants of Leland House received notices that they needed to move out. Originally, tenants were informed that they needed to be out by Dec. 3 because DTE planned to cut the power that day over the building's debt.
This led to an emergency hearing in which a settlement was reached between the owners and DTE to prevent the power from being shut off.
What they're saying:
Luis Ramirez, a representative for Leland House, released a statement about the agreement:
"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 Source: Previous FOX 2 reporting was used in this story.
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