Detroit committee flags faulty notices, urges pause on demolitions while process is fixed

Chair Council Member Gabriela Santiago Romero opened the Detroit Public Health and Safety Standing Committee’s dangerous-buildings hearing and foregrounded a recurring problem: property owners are receiving confusing or duplicate notices and fines even after they have begun repairs or transferred ownership.

At the hearing Romero said the committee must address the communication breakdowns that leave owners without clear time or guidance to make repairs and asked the administration to act. “Do a moratorium on demos until we figure this out,” Romero said, pressing staff to pause city-initiated demolitions while outreach and notice procedures are reviewed.

Why this matters: dozens of property owners — many who said they recently bought buildings at tax auctions or inherited them — described arriving at the meeting with documentation of repairs or recent permit activity but still receiving certified mail, fines or subsequent inspection notices. The inconsistent mailing and follow-up, speakers said, can create immediate financial burdens and hinder restoration work.

Several callers gave first-hand examples. One owner asked, “How do you expect me to fix my house if I’m still paying you?” (caller at the 8138 East Grigsdale discussion), describing fines and repeated inspection charges even while attempting repairs. Former owner Alexis Lee said she sold 18646 Saint Louis in February but received certified notices only in April, and she urged a clearer window for new owners to complete repairs after deed transfers.

City staff said the department’s role is to document hazards and enforce building codes but acknowledged imperfections in notice delivery. LPD told the committee these are legally required administrative hearings and that staff must present evidence supporting demolition orders; Building & Safety staff and the dangerous-buildings clerk described the inspection evidence in multiple cases and listed the procedural steps owners must follow to request deferrals or permit work.

Department guidance repeated at the hearing: owners seeking a deferral must provide proof of ownership, pay inspection fees, secure openings, remove exterior debris and either obtain necessary permits or submit a deferral application. BC’s assistant chief, Dilip Patel, told the committee that the department will review owner-submitted proof of progress and that inspectors return to verify progress when owners email photos to the department inbox.

The committee voted repeatedly to either withdraw properties from the demolition list or to send them back to BC for further review and cost analysis rather than immediately ordering demolition. Romero said the city will pursue concrete steps to fix notice delivery and to include translation resources on official notices.

What’s next: the chair asked staff to convene follow-ups during council recess to map how deed transfers, the county treasurer’s records and permit systems communicate with Building & Safety; she directed staff to create clearer, multilingual guidance for owners and to pursue a short-term pause on demolitions in cases where ownership or notification is in dispute.

The committee adjourned after agreeing to send several properties back to BC for review and to withdraw others that showed documented corrective work.