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Renters and management battle brewing at two Royal Oak apartment complexes

Posted at 6:42 PM, Jul 15, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-15 18:42:33-04

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — First came the rain, then the flooding, and then a wet and moldy mess in Royal Oak.

The damage is devastating. Tenants and families at two apartment buildings have lost their belongings. Now they are wondering where they will call home.

7 Action News Reporter Andrea Isom talked with some of them. A lot of them cannot live in their units. It’s just not safe.

What happened is bad but the fear is that the solution will make it worse.

Read the entire statement for the management company below.

Royal Oak’s drain system was unable to handle the substantial rain fall Friday night and the subsequent back-up caused water damage to several of our sub level apartments.

We were made aware of the issue early Saturday morning and immediately began the process of assessing the damage in individual apartments. We engaged our restoration contractor on Saturday to begin the process of removing water from the apartments and deploying drying strategies. Once we were able to gain access to all of the affected apartments and assess the damage, we were able to develop our plan for repairs.

This event has caused disruption in our resident’s lives and for that we are deeply sorry. We are doing everything in our power to support them in this unfortunate and emotional moment. That includes being transparent about what has to happen next.

As many as 28 of our residents will need to vacate their apartments and remove their belongings so that we can begin repairs. We are trying to expedite the repair process so that we can get them back into their apartment as quickly as possible.

We are giving them the option to relocate to any City Club Apartment Community for the duration of the repairs. Their rental rate would be the lesser of the two rents. This includes our Regents Club of Troy which is approximately 10 minutes away and can accommodate all displaced residents.

They will not be charged rent while their apartments are under repair unless they are staying at another one of our properties. We will also provide them with up to $250 to be used for their renter’s insurance deductible or other expenses.

COVID-19 has made it difficult for us to operate under normal protocols with regards to resident communications and face-to-face conversations during this challenge. We are doing everything we can to support our residents in this unfortunate situation including helping them relocate to another one of our properties.
Joel Shekell Property Manager Village Club of Royal Oak