Letter to the editor

Rental agencies need an urgent revamp

I’ve been in East Lansing for 11 days now, and apartment hunting in this city has been nothing short of terrifying. I arrived from India after having put down an application fee of $150 with an apartment in East Lansing, only to realize that the management agency kept adding all sorts of fees even before I could lease the apartment. So, I begin my apartment search afresh, only to be met with terrible choices since most homes have already been leased for the year.

I only have Google and Reddit reviews to go by, and most of these reviews speak badly of management agencies that have a monopoly across East Lansing. This is aside from the pest infestation, including centipedes and raccoons, besides mold growing all over the apartments. Rental management agencies post poor responses online to all of these allegations, and renters like me are left to believe that the allegations are true. What I’ve understood is that rental management agencies have maintenance teams that are understaffed, overworked and unable to cope. While these agencies are raking in money, the people who really work for the upkeep of the apartment are poorly treated.

East Lansing and Lansing need fair, capable and most important, honest rental agencies. The city, which is home to the sixth largest public university in the entire country, is otherwise going to be known for dishonest rental agencies with decrepit (not historic) buildings that are being passed off for housing.

P.S., I am still looking for a home that isn’t filled with mold or bugs that is run by an honest rental management agency. 

Lalitha Suhasini
East Lansing