This whole situation is giving Detroit "White Collar Rico Vibes!"
When you rent a home, you trust that your money is going to the rightful owner, someone who actually owns the roof over your head. But what happens when that trust is betrayed by shady shell companies, dissolved LLCs, and out-of-state “owners” who don’t even legally exist here?
Hi, I’m Crystal, a single mom, a survivor, a fighter, and someone who’s tired of being quiet. I am currently living in a Detroit housing nightmare and have been since 2019 and I’m telling my story because I know I’m not the only one. This blog is my full timeline, every piece of proof, every receipt that's been brushed off and ignored, and my personal call for honest attorneys and other tenants like me to help expose this for what it is: an organized scam targeting people like us, people who just want a stable home.
"In Detroit, no weapon formed against us shall prosper. Let's fight back together."
In 2019, I entered what I truly believed was a normal, lawful rental lease for my single-family home in Detroit. The property was managed by Own It Detroit and Mutual Property Management, two companies that look completely legitimate on paper. They publicly brag about paying property taxes, managing multiple homes for out-of-state investors, and helping landlords boost “passive income” with Detroit real estate.
But here’s what I didn’t know then: my lease was signed only “as agent,” with no verified legal owner’s signature anywhere on it, just an “agent” signature for the LLC that supposedly held the deed.
Under the Michigan Truth in Renting Act (MCL 554.631–641), a valid lease must clearly disclose the true legal owner’s name and address, and it must be properly executed to be enforceable. Mine wasn’t. That makes the entire lease void under state law.
For years, I’ve paid thousands of dollars in rent to an entity that cannot prove legal authority to collect it, and when I started researching further, the red flags multiplied:
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Global REI MI LLC, the entity on older deeds, was dissolved in 2021 but kept showing up on documents.
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Pigeon Cay LLC, the supposed current owner, is out-of-state and not even registered in Michigan.
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2024 property taxes were mysteriously redeemed by TitleVest Agency LLC and individuals not listed on any deed, none of whom are named in my lease.
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And Own It Detroit itself openly admits, in its own blog posts, how crucial it is to have legally binding leases signed by the real owner, but they didn’t follow their own advice with tenants like me.
They even warn landlords and investors on their site:
10 Tips to Creating a Standard Lease Agreement: What You Need to Know where they write that every lease must “comply with local landlord-tenant laws” and “identify the legal owner and all parties.”
Michigan Landlord-Tenant Law where they break down how important it is to do everything legally to avoid disputes.
So, why didn’t they do it for me? Instead, they hid behind shell entities, dissolved companies, and shady “agent” signatures, all while advertising that they help landlords evict tenants and “avoid lawsuits” (How to Evict a Tenant from a Detroit Investment Property and Avoid a Lawsuit).
This is more than a simple landlord oversight, it’s a pattern that shows how housing fraud and title games hide behind a “legit” company with a fancy website and blogs that ironically warn about the very scams they appear to be profiting from.
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Here’s where the plot thickens, and exposes the real mess:
The house I’ve been renting since 2019 was originally transferred to Global REI MI LLC back in 2013 from HUD for a little over $6,700 and I have paid $50,236 out of my personal funds to reside here (what a large profit they are making in the "Detroit Gold Mine"). But according to the State of Michigan business records, that LLC was dissolved in May 3, 2021, yet their name is still showing up on the Wayne County Register of Deeds records, and even on foreclosure notices that have been taped to my door over the past couple of years.
Then things got murkier. I pulled the recorded deeds and found that the property was supposedly transferred to Pigeon Cay LLC, a Wyoming-based LLC, but under MCL 450.5001, any out-of-state (foreign) LLC doing business in Michigan must be registered here. Pigeon Cay LLC is not. So how are they collecting rent or claiming ownership?
But it gets even more suspicious. When the house was about to be lost to tax foreclosure, the back taxes were suddenly redeemed, not by any verified owner or management company, first in 2024, by a Vanessa Medlock, and the following year by TitleVest Agency LLC, a title insurance firm based in New York, plus random individuals in Detroit who are nowhere on the deeds. My Wayne County FOIA results show the tax bills were paid in full for 2022, 2023, and 2024 on May 20, 2025, but no one will tell me why, or who’s behind it.
So who legally owns my home now? Why am I paying rent to Mutual Property Management under a lease by a management company whose legal contract is incomplete, it's signed only “as agent,” with no legal owner’s signature? And why is no one providing the chain of title or proof of authority to collect rent, all clear rights under Michigan’s Landlord-Tenant Law (MCL 554.634) and Truth in Renting Act (MCL 554.631–641)?
Short answer: No one can (or will) answer that. And that should scare every honest renter in Detroit.
I did exactly what you’re supposed to do, I took my research and proof to court. When I was being taken to eviction court, I trusted David (I'll leave his last name out of this, for now), an attorney from Lakeshore Legal Aid, to help me present clear evidence about the broken chain of title and overlapping, suspicious LLC activity tied to my home.
I showed him everything:
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Wayne County public records showing the original grantor Himalayan Investments LLC transferring to Aixtra LLC (with another unexplained grantee, creating a messy overlap that’s never been resolved).
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Proof that Global REI MI LLC, the company claiming to own the home for years, was dissolved in May 2021, yet kept showing up on redemption documents for my home, receipts, foreclosure notices, even though they legally no longer existed, and proof that Pigeon Cay LLC was not even legally registered to do business in the state of Michigan.
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The suspicious Memo of Land Contract, notarized by a Florida-based notary (Firon Virginie) even though the property is in Michigan, another glaring red flag that even John Brenner from the United Housing Coalition deemed suspicious and suggested I filed a complaint with the Wayne County Fraud Unit.
Despite all of this, my legal aid attorney dismissed my concerns, told me “businesses do stuff like this all the time,” and convinced me to sign a payment plan “just to keep a roof over my head.” I trusted him because I thought he was fighting for me and I was by myself with nobody to help me communicate my rights as an autistic woman with extreme social anxiety, but I later discovered that he himself is tied to multiple real estate investment LLCs, including companies that buy and flip distressed homes in Detroit.
That is a textbook conflict of interest.
It’s the exact reason so many low-income tenants like me get steamrolled in court, because the very people who are supposed to help us are invested in the same real estate game we’re trying to fight against.
Now that I’ve uncovered all these overlapping facts, from the broken chain of title to the questionable notary, the out-of-state LLC that’s never registered in Michigan (in violation of MCL 450.5001), the shady tax redemptions, and the attorney conflict, I know I was manipulated into paying thousands in rent to people who may never have had legal standing to collect it.
I’m done being gaslit. I’m demanding every dollar I paid in rent be returned, with interest, along with damages for the emotional distress and loss of opportunity. I want this broken system exposed for every other Detroit tenant fighting the same invisible war. I was intentionally blocked from the Make It Home Program, and I firmly believe this was retaliation after I began questioning the true ownership of the property. Mutual Property Management escalated things by calling my workplace and informing a coworker that I could be evicted if I didn’t return their call, a humiliating breach of privacy that triggered extreme anxiety during peak business hours. That wasn’t just unprofessional, it was cruel, retaliatory, and unacceptable.
The company managing my rent is directly connected to Own It Detroit, a property management firm that proudly markets itself as a resource for investors to “boost profits,” “evict tenants,” “flip foreclosed properties,” and navigate Detroit’s housing market for maximum gain.
In their own blogs, Own It Detroit makes it crystal clear they understand Michigan’s landlord-tenant laws. For example:
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Their post “10 Tips to Creating a Standard Lease Agreement” admits every lease must be valid and signed by the legal owner.
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Their “Michigan Landlord-Tenant Law” blog explains that landlords must provide written disclosure of the property owner’s name and the entity legally authorized to collect rent, as required by MCL 554.634.
Yet despite this, I have sent multiple documented requests for proof of ownership and valid authority to collect rent. Mutual Property Management has refused to provide any valid deed or management contract. Instead, they continue to demand payments trapping me in an illegal lease for a home that they never had the legal authority to rent out in the first place, rendering it void under the Michigan Truth in Renting Act (MCL 554.631–641.
It is clear that this refusal to comply is intentional: they are using the appearance of a legitimate business structure to collect rent they may have no right to collect. The goal is simple, to keep me locked into paying thousands of dollars while the real ownership status remains hidden, benefiting their unjust enrichment at my expense.
Here’s what the paperwork and my research show, and exactly which Michigan laws back up my claims:
Truth in Renting Act (MCL 554.631–641)
This law makes it illegal for a landlord or property manager to misrepresent who owns the home. If the legal owner isn’t disclosed or the property management contract isn’t signed by the legal owner (or a properly documented agent), the lease signed with the property management company would be void. Which means Mutual Property Management aka Own it Detroit has no legal authority and never did.
Own It Detroit’s own blogs even admit this standard.
MCL 554.634(1)(b) Right to Written Disclosure
As a tenant, I have the right to receive, in writing, the full legal name and address of the true owner and the party legally authorized to collect rent.
I have repeatedly requested this from Mutual Property Management, they refuse to provide it.
Michigan Consumer Protection Act (MCL 445.901) Deceptive Business Practices
This act prohibits any business from misleading people for financial gain, like collecting rent when you know the company on the lease was dissolved years ago, or when the chain of title is broken and shady shell LLCs are paying taxes or, an out of state llc like Pigeon Cay is not even legally registered to do business in the sate of Michigan.
This means they’re collecting money under false pretenses.
Notary Public Act (MCL 55.261–315) Improper or Suspicious Notarization
I found suspicious deeds and “Memo of Land Contract” documents notarized by people who shouldn’t be involved, including a Florida-based notary with concerning ties. Some notaries are even connected to other shell LLCs.
If notarizations aren’t valid, these deeds are invalid plain and simple.
Possible RICO Elements Organized, Ongoing Fraud
What ties it all together is the bigger pattern:
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Multiple shell LLCs that get dissolved and reappear
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Tax bills paid off by out-of-state title companies or individuals not on the deed
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Tenants evicted or threatened to keep the scam going
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Ownership chain never cleaned up, so new buyers can’t challenge the fraud easily
This is exactly the kind of coordinated fraud that could qualify for civil RICO action, because it’s an intentional scheme to defraud tenants, dodge foreclosure, and profit off people who can’t afford to fight back.
(This is just the gist, I have extensive documentation, FOIA records, official emails, receipts, and public deeds that back every point below.)
2019:
I moved into my Detroit home under a property management agreement with Own It Detroit / Mutual Property Management, thinking it was legitimate.
The so-called property management contract was never signed by a legal owner, it was only signed “as agent.”
Under the Michigan Truth in Renting Act (MCL 554.631–641), all lease agreement contracts must be properly executed and disclose the actual legal owner and the entity authorized to collect rent. Without this, the lease is void.
2022–2023:
I received multiple foreclosure notices, which caused extreme fear and stress for me and my kids.
I applied for Detroit’s Make It Home Program, which exists to help tenants like me buy foreclosed homes that we already reside in to prevent displacement.
But I was blocked from the program because someone else redeemed the back taxes at the last minute, pulling the house out of foreclosure, but no new owner ever stepped forward and no valid deed was ever recorded.
This suspicious tax payment directly stole my chance to become a homeowner, a right I was entitled to.
2023:
I dug deeper and found disturbing ownership discrepancies that make no sense:
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A suspicious Memo of Land Contract popped up, notarized by a Florida-based notary (Firon Virginie) for a Michigan property, which violates the Notary Public Act (MCL 55.261–315) if not done properly.
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Global REI MI LLC, who once owned the property, filed a Certificate of Restoration, then dissolved themselves unanimously just one month later, yet kept operating as if they still owned my home.
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Meanwhile, a grantor named Himalayan Investments LLC and grantee Aixtra LLC appear in the Wayne County public records, but with no clear, legitimate deed chain.
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These overlapping records show a classic shell game, shifting paperwork between entities to confuse tenants, block rightful ownership, and hide who’s profiting.
2024:
Things escalated:
They called my job, told a co-worker I could be evicted if I didn’t call them back, which was humiliating and caused severe anxiety during work hours.
They dragged me into eviction court, fully aware I had uncovered their fraudulent chain of title, tax redemption games, and other misconduct.
I turned to Lakeshore Legal Aid, trusting them to defend me. My assigned attorney, David (Lakeshore Legal Aid Attorney), dismissed all my evidence, telling me “businesses do stuff like this.” Instead of fighting for my rights, he pressured me into a payment plan just to “keep a roof over my head.”
I later discovered, through LARA filings and corporate records, that David (Lakeshore Legal Aid Attorney) is actively involved in multiple real estate investment LLCs.
This is a textbook conflict of interest, especially since I disclosed that I live with disabilities on my Lakeshore legal aid application. He never presented my documents to the judge and quickly closed my case.
2019–2024:
Despite all this, I’ve paid over $50,000 to these people for a house that originally cost them under $7,000, money that should have secured my family’s future as a homeowner.
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The home has never had a proper inspection since I moved in.
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They’ve only done the bare minimum to keep it livable while collecting thousands in rent.
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They even lied to the Attorney General, claiming the house was sold to another entity, but I was never notified of any sale, there’s no valid deed on file, and FOIA responses confirm the same.
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Since filing my AG complaint, I’ve been gaslit, ignored, and ghosted, every time I ask for proof of legal ownership, they dodge the question, yet still threaten to escalate things to their legal department, if I don’t keep paying them.
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Meanwhile, their own, Own It Detroit blogs brag about “smart eviction strategies” and “boosting profits,” while admitting the law requires valid leases and disclosure, yet they refuse to comply with MCL 554.634, the Truth in Renting Act, and the Michigan Consumer Protection Act (MCL 445.901) by continuing to collect rent under false pretenses.
And this is just the start. I have receipts for tax payments made by TitleVest Agency LLC (a NY title company) and random individuals with no legal tie to the home. I have Wayne County deeds, FOIA confirmations, notarized documents, and official emails from United Housing Coalition (John Brenner) acknowledging these problems.
This is a clear violation of multiple Michigan laws, and I’m done being gaslit.
Are you a tenant in Detroit getting suspicious foreclosure notices, unexpected rent hikes, or shady “payment plans” with no clear owner?
Contact me. Let’s compare notes, you might be trapped in the same broken chain of title scam I uncovered.
Are you an attorney who fights housing fraud, slumlord tactics, or title deception?
I need your help. I’m demanding every dollar of rent I paid back plus damages, and I want to bring this to court under Michigan law, the Truth in Renting Act, and more.
Are you an investigative journalist?
Let’s blow this open. Detroit tenants deserve the truth, not to be used as pawns in fraudulent shell games.
Stay tuned: I just uncovered another property recently transferred by Global REI MI LLC using an expired notary stamp from a Toronto, Canada resident, with the same last name as the agent listed on Global REI MI LLC’s LARA business filings (that's for sure not legal). This shady paper trail keeps growing, and I’m not stopping until every piece is exposed.
This is bigger than me, it’s about protecting other working families, single moms/dads, vulnerable seniors, or people with disabilities from being used and silenced.
Comment below if you have a similar story.
Share this post if you know someone getting foreclosure notices: they might be next.
Reach out. Share your story. Compare receipts. Together we can stop this.
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