Fraser join effort to make landlords bring rental properties up to code.

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Wednesday, August 31, 2005

T. Greilick / The Detroit News

An " anti-blight " measure would let Fraser building inspector Randy

A. Warunek go inside rental properties.

http://www.detnews.com/2005/macomb/0509/03/B04-298173.htm

Macomb zeroes in on blight

Warren, Clinton Twp., Fraser join effort to make landlords bring

rental properties up to code.

By Hunter / The Detroit News

What's next

Rental ordinances are pending in Warren, Clinton Township and

Fraser. Warren's ordinance is expected to be voted on during the

City Council meeting Sept. 13. Officials in Clinton Township and

Fraser are still tweaking the language of their proposed ordinances.

In on Township, a proposed rental ordinance was tabled after

residents and property owners protested.

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WARREN -- Eugene Crenshaw wakes up every day to the stench of mold

and human waste.

" It's terrible, " said Crenshaw, 49, a resident of Warren Plaza

Apartments. " There's black mold in the basement, and (feces) on the

floor down there, and you can smell it.

" The basement floods all the time; it gets up to your ankles. And

the smoke alarm in the hallway needs batteries, and it's constantly

chirping. In fact, it's going right now.

" And the landlord sure takes his time about fixing these things. "

Warren officials hope to put tough new rules in place that would

force landlords to fix such problems at their rental properties.

Warren is one of several Macomb County communities trying to enact

ordinances aimed at fighting blight.

Warren, Clinton Township, Fraser, and on Township have all

recently considered measures that would require owners of rental

properties to keep their houses and apartment buildings up to code.

Warren officials last week tabled two proposed ordinances that would

affect owners of rental property.

The delay would let city attorney put more specific language into

the proposals, which are expected to come to a vote at the Sept. 13

council meeting.

One of Warren's proposals would set up a " blight court " that would

hear cases against slumlords and other property owners who do not

keep their properties up to code.

The second proposal would establish a new rental ordinance allowing

officials to inspect apartment complexes like Warren Plaza.

" We've heard a lot of bad things about (Warren Plaza), but we can't

go inside there to inspect right now under the current rules, "

Warren City Councilwoman Melinda said.

" The point of having these new ordinances is to make sure our city

is safe. "

Warren Plaza Apartments recently went into receivership, and U.S.

District Court Judge Duggan on Aug. 1 appointed Birmingham-

based investment banking firm Amherst Partners to take care of the

problems there.

" There are problems at those apartments, there's no denying that, "

said Amherst's managing partner Eisenberg.

" We're just getting up to speed on the scope of the problems, and

we've hired a company to manage the property. Next, we'll identify

the problems, and then hire someone to fix them. "

In the meantime, renters like Crenshaw continue to suffer.

" I hope they get out here and fix this stuff pretty soon, " he

said. " It's pretty bad. "

Fraser Mayor Marilyn Lane said her office gets inundated with calls

from renters complaining about slumlords, which is why the city is

among the communities considering proposals to let inspectors

examine apartments.

" (Slumlords) are probably the number one complaint I've had since

I've been in office, " Lane said. Not everyone embraces the idea of

having inspectors inside their rentals.

In on Township, angry landlords and tenants packed a board

meeting where a rental ordinance was discussed, said Veejay Parakh,

director of the township's building department.

" The citizens didn't seem to be in favor of the ordinance, " Parakh

said. The issue was tabled, and was never brought up again, he said.

Retzloff is among the on Township residents against the

proposal.

" I don't want someone I don't know coming inside my apartment, " said

Retzloff, who lives in the Harbor Club Apartments on Jefferson.

You can reach Hunter at (586) 468-7396 or ghunter@....