The Ann Arbor Tenants Union has launched a campaign to end waitlist fees in the city and across Michigan.
The “Trash the Junk Fees” campaign kicked off over the weekend as the AATU began a petition drive aimed at the Ann Arbor City Council and the state Legislature.
Tenants Union member Zackariah Farah says, along with the high rents in Ann Arbor, the waitlist fees are exorbitant and, in some cases, can cost thousands of dollars.
“We think that’s absurd to pay that much money and not have any guarantee of getting a lease. But it doesn’t just stop there with the waitlist fees. There are also $200 application fees. We found an $800 application fee actually at Campus Management.”
The AATU and other organizations are demanding a ban on waitlist fees and other so-called rental junk fees in Ann Arbor and across the state. They also want the Attorney General to begin an investigation into predatory practices of Ann Arbor landlords.
Messages to the Washtenaw Area Apartment Association for a response were not returned.
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