Milan Acts Against Unsafe Apartment Conditions

Photo: Milan Pines Apartment complex at 461 Greentree Ln., Milan. Photo: Google Streeetview.

At the January 7, 2025, Milan City Council meeting, council members unanimously approved a resolution to take legal action against the Milan Pines apartment complex for repeated and unresolved code violations.

The move follows years of inspections and non-compliance by the property’s management, prompting Mayor Ed Kolar to describe the situation as an urgent health and safety matter.

Health and Safety Issues Ignored

“Our rental inspection program began in 2022, and by 2023, inspections of the Milan Pines revealed hundreds of violations, some very serious,” Kolar explained. “Heat, water heaters, furnaces—these are things that can cause carbon monoxide issues. There’s mold, sewage problems, and blocked egress windows that are major fire hazards. These are all health and safety issues.”

Despite two years of inspections and notices, the property management failed to address these violations. “No permits have been pulled, no inspections have been done for the critical items we identified,” Kolar said. “This lack of action is outrageous, and it’s clear we need court intervention.”

Receivership and Legal Action

The resolution allows the city’s legal counsel to seek a court-appointed receiver to enforce compliance with property maintenance codes. Kolar emphasized the seriousness of this step. “The best outcome would be for the owner to step up and make the repairs or for the property to be sold to a management company capable of addressing these issues,” he said. “Receivership is not a path we wanted to take, but we’re being forced into it.”

He also pointed out that the city of Saline is pursuing similar action against the same management company. “We’re coordinating with Saline to appear before the same judge and seek the same resolution,” Kolar added.

A Message to Residents

Council members discussed the importance of transparency, ensuring residents know the city is acting in their best interest. “The city of Milan does not consider this a safe place to live,” Kolar stated. He encouraged the media to report on the issue, saying, “People need to know why we’re doing this. The inspections have shown that most landlords in our community are responsible and address issues immediately. But we still have a handful of holdouts who refuse to comply, and we must act.”

Moving Forward

Councilmembers expressed hope that this would be the first and last time such legal action is necessary. “We’re breaking new ground with this process,” Kolar acknowledged. “But we are determined to ensure the health and safety of our residents.”

The motion passed unanimously, 7-0. The city now awaits the next steps in court, with Mayor Kolar reiterating, “We want to get something going in the right direction as soon as possible.”