MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A local woman is now facing eviction after investing thousands of dollars of her own money into repairing a home she says was uninhabitable when she moved in. Her landlord, Christian Nwobu, is currently being sued by the City of Lansing for numerous housing code violations, adding to the growing concerns surrounding his management of rental properties.
Kelly Holey, a tenant in Meridian Township, moved into a rental home in July 2024, only to find that it was in disrepair and red-tagged by officials. A red tag signifies that the property is unsafe to live in, yet Holey had no other option but to remain in the home without a formal lease agreement. In the midst of an unstable living situation, Holey reached out to Nwobu, who reportedly told her to stay quietly in the house without drawing attention.
Desperate to make the home livable, Holey began making repairs herself. Over the next few months, she replaced appliances, fixed broken pipes, and even installed new doors and trim throughout the house. In total, Holey estimates she spent around $3,000 in repairs, believing that her expenses would be deducted from her rent, as Nwobu had initially agreed. However, her optimism quickly faded as the situation worsened.
“The second month, he said, ‘Don’t worry about it, you’ve done plenty of work,'” Holey recalled. “But after that, he started demanding rent money, even though we had already put in thousands of dollars to fix the place.”
Despite her efforts, Nwobu stopped honoring the arrangement, and Holey says she was never reimbursed for her expenses. Matters escalated when Nwobu, through a company he owns, filed for her eviction. Court records show Holey has been given until April 30 to vacate the premises.
“I don’t know where I’m going to go,” said Holey, expressing frustration over the entire situation. “He should never have had someone living there in the first place. It’s been nothing but empty promises.”
The case is part of a broader issue surrounding Nwobu’s management of properties in the area. Public records show that Nwobu is responsible for 42 properties in Lansing, and earlier this month, the City of Lansing filed lawsuits against him for multiple housing code violations. Several of these properties, including the one Holey rented, have been red-tagged, meaning they were deemed unsafe for tenants.
Ingham County Treasurer Alan Fox confirmed that Nwobu’s company, Manfred Woelfel Rental Properties, owes a significant amount in overdue taxes, including $9,328.99 for the Towar Avenue property. Fox noted that in order to bring the taxes up to date, Nwobu must pay by the end of April.
Despite the mounting legal and financial troubles, Nwobu has yet to address the issues directly. Attempts by 6 News to reach him for comment were unsuccessful, with a knock on his door yielding no response.
Holey is not alone in her struggle. Court records show that Nwobu is also suing other tenants for back rent and property possession. In each of these cases, the properties involved have been red-tagged as unsafe.
As Nwobu faces a hearing on May 12 regarding the housing code violations, many in the community are calling for accountability. Local residents and tenants, like Holey, are urging authorities to take further action to prevent others from enduring similar hardships.
Holey, for her part, is hopeful that her story will raise awareness about the challenges renters face when dealing with negligent landlords. “He doesn’t do anything, and it just makes the whole neighborhood look bad,” she said, adding that she hopes no one else has to go through what she did.
For now, she is left grappling with an uncertain future and a mounting sense of injustice.
