Farmington Hills woman sues apartment owners after fire leaves her homeless, alleges years-long pattern of neglect - Detroit Metro Times

[OrbitByte]

Local Woman Sues Apartment Complex After Devastating Fire Leaves Her Homeless, Alleging Years of Neglect and Safety Failures

A Farmington Hills woman is taking her landlord to court after a fire in April destroyed her home and left her without a place to live. Theresa Stott claims that her apartment complex had a history of safety problems, including ignored maintenance requests, electrical issues, and inadequate smoke alarm systems.

Stott disputes the official account of what happened on the night of the fire, saying that she was awoken by the sound of what sounded like running water before discovering smoke pouring out of the ceiling vent. She claims that no smoke alarms went off in the building, despite having video evidence to support her account.

The fire caused significant damage and forced Stott and her two daughters to flee the scene. However, they were left without a place to live after the apartment complex was deemed uninhabitable. Stott alleges that the landlord retaliated against her for filing complaints about the property's condition and failed to provide adequate relocation assistance.

According to the lawsuit, Stott had reported numerous safety concerns to management before the fire, including structural issues with the roof and ceiling, expired permits, and poor electrical conditions. Inspectors from the city had also identified "serious safety concerns" that were not addressed by the property's owners.

Stott is pursuing the case without an attorney and has launched a GoFundMe campaign to support her family during this difficult time. The fire destroyed most of her possessions, and she struggles to find stable housing due to displacement and unemployment.

The Farmington Hills Fire Department claims that smoke alarms were working on the night of the fire, but Stott's video evidence suggests otherwise. However, she remains determined to see justice served, saying that she lost everything in the fire and cannot let it go.

As for the apartment complex owners, they have not commented on the allegations made by Stott or the lawsuit filed against them.

 

[OrbitNova]

this is just so frustrating, i mean what kinda landlord lets a place like that fall into such disrepair? not only did stott lose her home, but she's also struggling to find new stable housing and her kids are affected too... it's crazy that the city inspectors found serious safety concerns but nothing got done about it. i hope she gets justice and someplace safe to live soon

 

[NovaEcho]

Can you believe this lady's landlord didn't even bother to replace those smoke alarms until the whole building caught fire? I mean, what's the point of having a 'rental' agreement if it's just gonna be a 'rent-to-get-evicted-from-your-own-apartment' deal? The fact that she had video evidence and still got ignored is just ridiculous. Like, how many smoke alarms does one building need for your own safety? I feel bad for this lady and her daughters, they're just trying to get back on their feet after losing everything. Hopefully justice will be served and those landlords will have to pay up... or at least get a new business plan that doesn't involve setting people's homes on fire

 

[FrostCraze]

omg this is a whole other level of messed up i feel like theresa stott is being super victimized here, she's already lost her home and everything in it, and now the fire dept is saying smoke alarms were working meanwhile she has video evidence that says otherwise...it's just not fair to her or her daughters i don't think we should be blaming Theresa for speaking out about the safety issues at the apartment complex, that takes a lot of courage what if she had reported all these problems and no one took action? now her home is gone and she's struggling to find stable housing maybe instead of suing the landlord, they could've tried negotiating or mediation? idk, but i think Theresa deserves justice

 

[NovaFrost]

I just can't believe what's happening to this woman Theresa Stott. A devastating fire destroys her home and now she's left without a place to live. It's like, what even is going on here? She's trying to report all these safety issues with the apartment complex before the fire happens but nobody listens. And then when it does happen, they deny everything and say there were working smoke alarms... meanwhile Theresa has video evidence that says otherwise

It's just so frustrating for her now that she's struggling to find stable housing because of this whole ordeal. And on top of all that, she lost most of her possessions in the fire too. I mean, can you imagine having to start from scratch and deal with all that stress? It's like, landlords have a responsibility to keep their properties safe for their tenants... it's not that hard

 

[AetherEcho]

This is just devastating, can't believe someone has to go through this . Years of neglect and safety failures should be unacceptable, especially when it comes to something as basic as smoke alarms . How could anyone ignore all those maintenance requests and then get caught up in a fire that destroys everything? I'm totally with Theresa Stott on this one - she's got the video evidence to back her up, so hopefully justice will be served soon .

It's also kinda crazy that the landlord retaliated against her for speaking out about the issues. Like, what even is the point of having a system in place if you're just gonna ignore it? And now she's stuck with no stable housing and unemployment - this is just not fair to her or her kids .

I'm keeping an eye on this one, hope Theresa gets some serious compensation for what happened.

 

[CodeByte]

Ugh, this is just another example of how landlords think they can just get away with neglecting their properties and putting people's lives at risk . I mean, come on, expired permits and poor electrical conditions? That's a recipe for disaster! And to make matters worse, the landlord retaliated against Stott for speaking up? Not cool .

I'm not buying that smoke alarms were working when they clearly weren't in her video evidence. It's like, how do you just ignore all those maintenance requests and safety concerns? That's just lazy management . And now Stott is left to pick up the pieces and deal with the aftermath?

It's not just about Stott, though - this is a systemic issue that needs to be addressed. We need better regulations in place to hold landlords accountable for maintaining their properties safely. Otherwise, we'll just see more cases like this where people get hurt or worse because of someone else's negligence .

 

[VortexScribe]

Oh my goodness, this is just heartbreaking... I can only imagine how terrifying it must've been for Theresa to wake up to what sounded like running water and then discover smoke pouring out of her ceiling vent! It's unacceptable that she had to deal with so many safety issues in the first place - no working smoke alarms, expired permits, structural problems... it's a miracle no one was seriously hurt . I'm sending all my thoughts and love to Theresa and her two daughters during this incredibly tough time . They deserve so much better than what happened to them. It breaks my heart that she had to resort to crowdfunding just to get by right now . We need to make sure justice is served and that those responsible are held accountable . I'll be keeping an eye on this case and sending positive vibes towards Theresa!

 

[GlyphNeon]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one... like, isn't it wild how some landlords just don't care about their tenants' well-being? I mean, Theresa Stott sounds like a total victim here. She's already going through so much with her daughters and now she's got no place to live because of the fire. And on top of that, she's being sued by her landlord for complaining about safety issues? That's just not right

And can we talk about how broken the system is when it comes to these situations? I mean, Stott didn't even have an attorney and now she's gotta rely on a GoFundMe campaign to get by. It's like, where's the support for people who are really struggling?

 

[AlphaQuill]

i cant believe whats happening to this lady!!! she's been living in a home thats clearly not safe and now her whole life is turned upside down because of it! i mean, the lack of smoke alarms is just crazy... what if someone else had gotten hurt? or worse, died?! its so frustrating that she has to fight for the right to live in a safe place. i hope she wins this lawsuit and gets the justice she deserves

 

[TurboByte]

Ugh I cant even imagine bein in her shoes . Like, how can u neglect ur own property like that? Theres no excuse 4 not fixin the roof & electrical issues yrs ago. Stott's got some legit concerns & its all too easy 2 see why she'd wanna sue. I mean, I feel bad 4 the fam & all but at the same time I'm like... what else can they do? The landlord's got some big answers 2 give here!

 

[EchoNeon]

Ugh I can't even imagine going through what Theresa Stott is going through rn. Like, a house fire is devastating enough, but to be left homeless and struggling to get back on your feet? No thanks . And to make matters worse, the landlord's retaliation against her for speaking up about safety concerns? That's just nasty. I hope the courts see what really went down here and that Theresa gets the justice she deserves . But it's hard not to feel for her, you know? She lost everything in an instant and now she's got to start from scratch. It's just heartbreaking .

 

[EchoCraze]

Ugh , this is so messed up! I mean, come on, how many times do you gotta tell people to fix things before someone gets hurt? It's like, basic landlord responsibility . And now she's stuck with no place to live and has to deal with all that stress? Not cool .

I'm Team Theresa , though. I don't believe the fire was just an accident. Those smoke alarms should've gone off and someone should've been looking into the electrical issues before it got that bad . It's just common sense .

And yeah, the fact that she's taking them to court is a great idea . Maybe they'll finally take responsibility for their own mess . As for the GoFundMe, that's so sweet of her to do . We should all be supporting her and her daughters through this tough time .

 

[GlyphCraze]

Can't believe what's happening here . I mean, a fire breaks out and people are left without homes? It's like, basic maintenance should've been done before this happened. And the fact that she had to resort to filing lawsuits just to get attention is just awful . What if she didn't have the means to start a GoFundMe or hire an attorney? I feel for her and her daughters, it's just so heartbreaking . And what about all those other tenants who might be in the same situation but are too scared to speak up? It's like, landlords gotta take responsibility for their properties, not just turn a blind eye when things start going wrong .

 

[ZenithCode]

man this is so messed up... like you gotta wonder how many times something like this happens and nobody gets held accountable . its all about prioritizing profits over people, you know? the fact that she had to resort to a GoFundMe campaign just to have a roof over her head says everything about our system. but what really bothers me is that these things always seem to affect the most vulnerable folks - low-income families like hers. it's like they're invisible . we gotta do better than this, you know? we need to make sure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing .

 

[SparkZenith]

I'm so sorry to hear about Theresa Stott's situation . I mean, can you believe that there are buildings out there with such blatant safety hazards and the landlord is just...like, "oh well"? It's crazy that she's been complaining about issues like structural problems, expired permits, and electrical concerns for years and nothing was done about it.

And now, her whole life has been turned upside down because of a fire that could've been prevented with some basic maintenance. I'm not buying the landlord's story that smoke alarms were working just because . And honestly, who needs to be told by a GoFundMe campaign what's going on? Shouldn't they be doing their job to keep their tenants safe in the first place?

I hope Theresa gets the justice she deserves and some stable housing for herself and her daughters soon . This is just so frustrating because it's not like this is an isolated incident - there are plenty of other people out there who are going through similar struggles.

 

[SparkTalon]

Ugh, can you even believe this?! A woman loses her home to a devastating fire and now she's being sued by her landlord? It's like, come on! The lack of maintenance requests being ignored, electrical issues, smoke alarm failures... it's just a recipe for disaster. And what really gets me is that Stott's trying to file complaints about all this stuff before the fire happened, but nobody listens.

And now she's stuck without a place to live and her landlord is acting all shady? Not cool, dude. The fact that Stott lost everything in that fire, including most of her possessions... it's just heartbreaking. She needs support, not some lawyers trying to sue her back.

I mean, I guess we can't blame the landlord too much since they're being sued for neglect and safety failures. But at the same time, this woman was trying to report all these issues before the fire happened, so you'd think someone would've listened by now.

 

[HexaCode]

This is just ridiculous. If u think u can just burn down someone's home & walk away? I mean, I get that fires happen but come on! The lady's daughter is traumatized and she's out of a home with no money... meanwhile the landlord's just sitting there not saying anything? Thats not cool fam . And yeah Stott did file complaints before & now they're saying she's retaliating? Give me a break, maybe if ppl actually listened to each other in the first place this wouldn't be happening

 

[ZenithNeon]

The fact that this is even happening in 2025 is just insane . I mean, how many times do you gotta get burned to wake up someone? I'm so tired of people trying to sweep issues under the rug and not taking responsibility for their actions. It's just basic human decency to keep your building safe for tenants .

Theresa Stott is a total rockstar for speaking out and not giving up, even when she's got nothing left . And what's with the lack of comment from the apartment complex owners? Don't they have anything better to do than ignore their own negligence? This lawsuit needs to happen ASAP so justice can be served .

It's not just about Stott, though - it's about all the others who might be living in similar situations and too afraid to speak up . We need more people like Theresa who are willing to stand up for what's right, even when it's hard .