LANSING, Mich. — Bryan Douglas recently came home to his apartment at Autumn Ridge Townhomes and Apartments.
“I noticed that there was a red tag on my window,” Douglas said.
A red tag, placed by the city of Lansing, means that the landlord cannot rent the unit, but Douglas said he’s been paying rent for the past three years.
The city didn't tell us what specific issues caused this property to be red tagged, but the parking lot is filled with deep pot holes and numerous units have unfinished paint jobs.
“They just moved me in thinking the place was fine and dandy, knowing that it was condemned,” Douglas said.
We went to speak with the property manager at Autumn Ridge Townhomes and Apartments in hopes of getting some answers, but I was kicked off the property.
We called their corporate office, and they declined an interview but told us that no tenants are staying in their red tagged units.
However, a lease that Douglas provided us with says otherwise.
“I feel like I’ve been robbed,” Douglas said. “I’ve been giving them close to a thousand dollars a month, but they don’t have a valid rental’s certificate.”
In a statement Autumn Ridge said:
“Autumn Ridge is not pink tagged and claims to the contrary are false. The property was recently inspected in December 2022 and all prior inspections were resolved with the City last year. We are currently working on and completing all legitimate items in the recent inspections and disputing all items that are not legitimate.
As for red tags, only 7 of our 618 units are legitimately red tagged. Please note those units are vacant and will not be rented until they meet our standards, which are well above any city requirements.
Additionally, we just found out yesterday that some red tags that were back dated were recently placed on a couple of occupied units. We have no idea why this happened considering the December inspection reports do not mention anything about red tagging these couple of units. We're currently investigating this and will hold those responsible accountable.”
However, the city told FOX 47 News there are a total of 26 red tagged units. City officials also said they’ve been going to court with Autumn Ridge regarding the red tag issue since 2017.
“I want them to know that this is not okay to do to people,” Douglas said.
And while Douglas said this is a difficult time, he’s making plans to hold the Autumn Ridge property managers accountable.
“My next step is to find a lawyer that can advise me legally, so I can get justice for what has happened,” he said.
