Walter Welch’s tub isn’t safe enough for a bath and his front door “shakes constantly” from a strong draft in the hallway of the River Pointe Tower apartment complex where he lives.
“There are consistent issues in my apartment,” Welch, a 13-year resident, told Detroit City Council members on Tuesday. “I need a new tub, the glazing is all cracked up and not safe. It clogs up the drain. I cannot take a bath.”
Welch was among the residents from the River Pointe Tower Tenants Union who turned up at the council’s Tuesday formal session to speak about the frustrating housing conditions that they contend management company Capital Realty Group has failed to properly address and to urge council members to intervene.
“They (maintenance) came to do work. They took the closet doors off and never came back to put them on. That ain’t maintenance, that ain’t right,” Welch added.
A representative for River Pointe Tower on Dickerson Avenue deferred comment to the company’s corporate office. A message left with a spokesperson was not immediately returned.
Steven Rimmer, director of the Detroit Tenants Association, said the group brought its concerns to council members but has yet to receive a response. Rimmer also addressed the council during public comment, saying the facility conditions are unsuitable and that the management is “rooted in disrespect.”
Rimmer said the tenant group organized last year and the association has unionized over 60 tenants in the building and “they believe their rights matter.”
He claimed that management has intimidated and threatened residents, but told council that “we’re not afraid.”
“We’re organized, we’re disciplined,” he said. “We’re calling for this body to stand with us.”
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield has made it a priority of her administration to crackdown on senior complexes in Detroit.
Weeks into her tenure, Sheffield unveiled an initiative aimed at ensuring seniors and Detroiters with disabilities are living in safe housing. The mayor directed the city’s Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department to ramp up enforcement in 65 apartment complexes, including legal action and fines, as part of a plan to address concerns raised by seniors about often deplorable conditions. Sheffield has said the goal is to bolster accountability, communication between management and the city and enforcement in all senior buildings.
BSEED Director David Bell told BridgeDetroit in a Tuesday statement that River Pointe Tower has a certificate of compliance as of Feb. 6, 2026.
Bell said the last complaint inspection was in December 2025, and the inspector found no cause for action. Additionally, Bell said a survey inspection took place on March 23, and no issues were discovered in the common areas of the building.
“The health and safety of our residents is our main concern,” said Bell, adding that there are some circumstances that will remain to be resolved between tenants and landlords.
“Where we are able, we will continue to enforce and hold property owners accountable,” he said. “We also encourage tenants to give us specific inspection points such as items and areas to be successful in enforcement.”
Detroit seniors have long raised concerns about poor rental housing conditions from mold infestation and vermin to lack of heat and inadequate security measures.
Resident Teresa McCormick said she and other tenants of River Pointe Tower have demanded conversations with Capital Realty, but those pleas have gone unaddressed, she said.
“We’re old. I’m 78. We don’t need all this … we need your help,” she told council members.
Fellow River Pointe resident Jacqueline Rice said during public comment that she visited a prior council session in February to bring attention to the issues and said she remains worried “about management treating us like we’re nothing.”
“I am somebody and I wish to be treated like I am somebody,” she said. “Capital Reality needs to step up to the plate and do what needs to be done.”
Rimmer provided BridgeDetroit with a copy of the tenant demands submitted to the apartment management and to the City Council.
“The River Pointe Towers Tenant Union are seeking professional management, basic habitability, and stability,” it reads. “These are not extraordinary demands – they are standard expectations for responsible property ownership.”
The demand document seeks written acknowledgment of tenant complaints, including a 48-hour turnaround for non-emergency complaints from tenants submitted to management in writing.
The union is also seeking a transparent repair tracking system to monitor progress of work orders. Other requests cover a review of the facility’s pest control vendor, functional locks and doors, garbage removal, full-time, certified building security, adoption of a formal non-retaliation policy and a freeze on any eviction filings stemming from minor balance disputes.
District 4 Council Member Latisha Johnson noted that the complex is in her district and last year she met with residents and brought BSEED and officials from the Detroit Fire Department and Detroit Police Department out to the site to address concerns raised to Johnson and her office staff.
“Those three agencies did go out to address the issues,” said Johnson, adding it appears that the management company “has not completely fulfilled their end of the bargain.”
Johnson noted that she drafted a memo seeking an update from BSEED following last year’s site visit. She also said that beyond the city, tenants can have their issues addressed through Detroit’s 36th District Court.
Residents with concerns about building compliance also can call BSEED at 313-628-2451.