Tenants without running water in apartment building on Detroit's west side

Multiple issues reported

DETROIT – Nearly two dozen residents of an apartment building on Detroit's west side are without running water Monday night.

The lack of water is part of a series of ongoing problems at the 27-unit complex on La Salle Boulevard just off the Davison Freeway. Residents said the building's owner is neglecting them.

The mountain of problems at the building didn't happen overnight. But residents feel they've spent too many nights dealing with issues.

"Can't wash no dishes, nothing," upset tenant DeJanae Diles said. "If I need to take a shower I have to warm up water on the stove or go to my friend's house."

The city originally hit the landlord with a blight notice for failure to provide heat and water. There have been $16,000 in violations so far.

"We've issued those tickets every day, including three misdemeanors, which says if you don't respond to us about this building you're going to court and we will issue a warrant for your arrest," said Jessica Parker, with the city of Detroit's building safety department.

The owner of the building fixed the heat before the deadline day. As for the issues with the water, the water line broke and that requires time to fix.

"I just feel like I can't do nothing," Diles said.

"We gave them the opportunity to leave the building to relocate them to a safer means," Parker said.


About the Authors:

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.