Families of University of Michigan sophomores say they arrived to move into Haven on Geddes last week only to discover their apartments were not ready, with contractors' equipment cluttering hallways and units still under construction just days before fall classes began. The complaints center on the 62-unit complex at 1700 Geddes Avenue, where students were told their units weren't finished even as the university's Monday, August 31 start date loomed with no buffer for delays.
As reported by ClickOnDetroit, students were originally supposed to be able to move into Haven on Geddes by August 28, but families said confusion and unresolved conditions continued even after that date. One family, the Schoebens, said their daughter and three roommates had signed a lease for a four-bedroom apartment and were scheduled to move in on August 17 — only to receive no advance notice that the unit would be delayed. Jessica Schoeben said the family never received notification that the apartment would not be ready, and she has asked Haven on Geddes to communicate directly with families.
Photos shared by parents and reviewed by the outlet appeared to show ongoing work inside student units as of August 29, including dirty showers and floors that one family described as safety concerns. Other families reported that temporary accommodations offered in the interim did not match the terms of their signed leases, and University of Michigan sophomores described both the delays and a broader lack of communication from property managers as sources of added stress right before the school year began. Evelyn Montague, one of the affected students, described the situation as extra stress heaped on an already hectic start to the semester.
Permitting Errors Blamed for Certificate Delays
According to a message sent to families and shared with the outlet, the complex on Hackberry Lane indicated that a contractor made errors during the permitting process, which prevented required inspections and certificates of occupancy from being completed on schedule. The City of Ann Arbor announced on August 28 that certificates of occupancy had been cleared, but parents said confusion persisted for some residents even after that announcement. Haven on Geddes had 35 units undergoing renovations, part of a broader 2026 update to the 1967-built property that added stainless steel appliances and in-unit laundry, according to background reported by Apartment Finder. The City of Ann Arbor lists the complex as having 68 units total.
Under the city's rental code, landlords are barred from leasing or allowing occupancy of any unit without a valid, current certificate of compliance, according to guidance from University of Michigan Student Legal Services. That office said it is reviewing the situation and has received a high volume of calls from tenants at the complex. Its services are free for University of Michigan students, and it has directed affected renters toward several concrete steps, including keeping all landlord communications in writing, saving receipts for food, transportation and other related expenses, and building a timeline of events.
What Renters Can Do Under Michigan Law
Michigan's Housing Law, MCL 125.530, provides that when a municipal enforcing agency withholds or suspends a certificate of compliance, a tenant's obligation to pay rent is suspended and instead diverted into an escrow account until compliance is achieved. Parents said they are still seeking answers from Haven on Geddes about leases, rent, credits and alternate accommodations. The City of Ann Arbor's Renters Commission provides information about filing a rental housing complaint, and the city's Rental Housing Services requires landlords to submit an actionable correction plan within 24 hours for life-safety issues or 72 hours for non-emergencies once a complaint is filed.
Haven on Geddes representatives did not respond to the outlet's repeated requests for comment. Advertised rates at the property for Fall 2026 ranged from $999 to $1,470 per month for individual bed leases, or up to $4,396 per month for a full four-bedroom unit, according to findmyplace. Ahead of the fall term, the complex had also run leasing promotions offering incentives such as MacBooks, AirPods, Claude Pro subscriptions or $1,000 gift cards to students who signed leases by mid-August, per PadMapper — a marketing push that stood in contrast to the unfinished conditions some families later found.
A Campus-Wide Housing Squeeze
The trouble at Haven on Geddes wasn't the only housing readiness issue facing University of Michigan students this fall. University-operated housing also hit snags, with U-M Housing alerting students assigned to Building 4 of the new Wolverine Village complex that construction delays could force temporary hall reassignments, according to the Ann Arbor Record. Together, the two situations point to a broader crunch in getting student housing — both private and university-run — ready in time for a fall semester that began without any grace period for delays.
