ROYAL OAK, Mich. – A 71-year-old legally blind tenant at Park on 13 Apartments in Royal Oak has finally received handicap accommodations after, he says, months of requests.
“I’m sick of this place. I really am. This is not what I pay the rent for, and for what I pay for to live here, it should be really nice. I’m paying $1521 a month,” said Durwood Gray, as a maintenance worker installed grab bars in his bathroom.
Gray initially reached out to Local 4 in October, after being without heat for days.
Gray, who had been seeking both a lower-floor unit and bathroom modifications, was finally moved to a new apartment this past week.
When he moved in, the grab bars still weren’t ready to be installed.
“I just want a fair shake,” Gray said.
After initially being told the situation was “being handled internally” and that management “won’t talk to media”, a property manager reached back out to Local 4, claiming the grab bars had been ordered and installed in his previous unit.
The property manager claimed the grab bars weren’t ready before Gray moved into his new unit because he had moved up his move-in date, and management had to order another part to install them.
As for why it took so long to get Gray into a new unit, the property manager claimed the particular units he moved into are newly renovated and weren’t available until now.
Steve Tomkowiak, the departing executive director of the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit, explained that in such situations, landlords are legally required to accommodate disabilities.
“They do have a right under the Fair Housing Act and Michigan law, the Michigan Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act, to request reasonable accommodations and or reasonable modifications as necessary due to their disability,” Tomkowiak said.
“You can request an accommodation or that you can make the modification,” said executive director Farrah Wilder. ”The housing provider can ask for some documentation, but depending on the type of property, either the property owner or sometimes the tenant is then given approval to make the modification.”
The Fair Housing Center offers free assistance to tenants in similar situations, including help with accommodation requests and legal support if needed.
“We will assist in enforcement proceedings, and that could consist of filing complaints with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights or HUD or even going into court, or having a cooperating attorney handle the case,” Tomkowiak said.
Resources through the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit can be accessed by clicking here.