Tenant fed up with dilapidated Detroit apartment owned by controversial landlord

Detroit resident fed up with apartment complex in need of myriad repairs

Broken handrails, inoperable elevators, and other issues at Detroit apartment leaving residents at The Jacobs apartment on John R Street in Detroit.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The Jacobs apartment complex near downtown Detroit carries a classic charm with a myriad of issues inside.

That's the conclusion of one of its tenants who has grown tired of the problems he experiences every day living at the complex.

What we know:

Located nearly Brush Park and scenes of Detroit's revival is an older apartment complex with a list of issues its residents experience every day.

One tenant appreciated the classic nature of the building - but that was about it.

"I get cardio exercise every time I try to go home," he said. "Because I have to walk up dozens of stairs. It’s over 70 to get to my apartment."

The tenant, asking not to be named, said the breaking down of the apartment's last working elevator has made living at The Jacobs a nightmare. Since moving in, only one elevator had been in operation - until it broke down three months ago.

His calls to management have gone ignored, the tenant says.

"One (handrail) has completely fallen off the wall and has just been laying there for over a month," he said. "And then the side door is blocked, so if there is ever an emergency there’s a cone in the middle of the stairwell, then the door is so rusted if you open it, it's going to fall off."

At best, "it's a Class C-minus building" another tenant told FOX 2.

Zoom Out:

The building is allegedly owned by Boydell Development, a Detroit real estate company. 

The firm is owned by Dennis Kefallinos, a familiar name in the Detroit housing world. The subject of several complaints about blight and nonworking apartments, earlier in 2025 he reached a court settlement with the city to bring more than a hundred of his buildings up to code. 

Among those required to be repaired is the complex at 2627 John R. 

"Mr. Kefallinos is in fact the owner of 117 different properties in Detroit," said Conrad Mallett, Detroit corporate counsel. "This building, along with 102 others, is under a consent agreement requiring all the buildings under agreement to be repaired by September the 30th."

However, because the elevator is considered an emergency, tenants can demand immediate action to get it up and running.

"If they are not running within the next seven days, we’ll be going back to court," said Mallett.

Fines and further court action are possible without further improvements.