A west Michigan family is asking the owners of an apartment complex for more help after being displaced following a partial drywall ceiling collapse Wednesday morning.
The renters at Concord Place Apartments in Oshtemo Township discovered a gaping hole after an apartment maintenance worker caused the partial collapse while inspecting an attic above the third floor apartment, according to tenant Kyle Brautigam.
"I heard a boom and I was confused," Brautigam said.
The loud boom woke Kyle Brautigam while he slept after working third shift.
Debris and insulation covered the toilet, sink and bathtub when he walked into the bathroom, he said.
Brautigam lives in the apartment with his wife and their two young children who were forced to leave the apartment. The debris and airborne dust caused breathing difficulty for Brautigam, who is an asthmatic.
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The couple said they were taken aback by the initial response of the apartment complex's property manager.
"My wife made a statement: if you were in this situation and had kids, what would you do? She said if it was me, I would clean it up myself," Brautigam said." We didn't the make the mess, it's almost like they pinned on us like we did it."
Concord Place Apartments property management company, Edward Rose & Sons is working with the family to resolve the situation, according to a company representative.
Edward Rose & Sons offered the family a $500 rent voucher after the family was temporarily displaced, according to Brautigam. The apartment complex did not have spare apartment units for the family to temporarily stay in, Brautigam said.
Maintenance workers began replacing the drywall ceiling Wednesday night, but had not finished as of Thursday evening, Brautigam said.
It's unclear when the work will be finished.
"A lot of inconveniences and money has been spent. We're basically fending for ourselves," Brautigam said.
Apartment landlords are not required to pay or reimburse a tenant if there is a damage, according to Michigan's landlord and tenant act. A landlord is allowed a reasonable amount of time to fix any damage reported in the tenants apartment.
If the landlord doesn't provide a fix for these damages within notice from the tenant, the tenant may seek legal advice from a court of law or withhold rent payments to cover the damages themselves, according to the state law.
As of Thursday afternoon, the bathroom is still under repair and Brautigam has not been told when the repairs would be done, he said.