A Detroit renter who relies on oxygen says she has been living on sunlight and plug-in lamps for months because the overhead lights in her apartment simply will not turn on. Cawana Kemp says ceiling fixtures in her kitchen, bathroom and living room stay dark every time she flips the switches, so she races to get chores done before sunset and lives the rest of the evening in a patchwork of lamp light. On top of that, she says she is also dealing with pests and plumbing problems, all of which have fueled a long-running fight with building management.
As reported by ClickOnDetroit, Kemp stopped paying rent in March 2025 after she says repeated maintenance requests went unanswered. She later signed a court agreement that required her to resume rent payments while management agreed to make repairs. Kemp says only some of the electrical work was actually finished and that multiple rooms are still without working overhead lights. The building's front office told the station that a new management company has been in place for about two months, that staff are tackling a large backlog of work orders, and that an electrician and a plumber are now scheduled to visit her unit.
"It’s nothing coming on, there’s light bulbs in it," Kemp told ClickOnDetroit, describing how the fixtures stay dark despite fresh bulbs and flipped switches. She says she now depends on lamps and hustles to finish tasks while the sun is up so she can see clearly while using oxygen. "It made me feel like I was betrayed," she added, saying she thought the court agreement meant the promised repairs would be fully completed.
Chalmers Marketed As A Multi-Building Portfolio
Commercial listings and marketing materials show that Chalmers Apartments spans several low-rise buildings and is being pitched as a value-add multifamily portfolio with roughly 76 to 84 units. Those materials suggest management and ownership activity in recent months, which tenants say has shown up on their end as a pileup of unresolved work orders and slow repairs. The property appears in local commercial listings and marketing packets, per Crexi.
City Officials Say Building Is Not An Approved Rental
City of Detroit officials told reporters the building Kemp lives in is not an approved rental with the city and that the Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department plans to review the property's history with its legal team. The city also told the station it can provide legal assistance to tenants and help set up an escrow account for rent if eviction proceedings move forward, according to ClickOnDetroit. Tenants with complaints can submit them through the city's Improve Detroit portal to request inspections and enforcement.
What This Means For Tenants
Withholding rent can be legally risky, even when conditions feel unlivable. Housing advocates generally urge tenants to document problems with photos and video, keep written records of maintenance requests and receipts, and talk with a lawyer or tenant-rights group before stopping payments. Other Detroit complexes have faced long repair backlogs and winter heating problems, a pattern residents say points to broader maintenance and staffing issues at some properties. Local reporting has documented similar long-running problems, including a senior building that went months with partial or no heat, per FOX 2 Detroit.
