LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — One family of a Michigan State University student is claiming the apartment complex Landmark on Grand River in East Lansing is taking advantage of their daughter after she was told one price initially but will be paying another.
Kara McWilliams said her daughter was among the thousands of students scrambling trying to find living situations for the 2024-2025 school year.
“They’ve looked at a few properties,” she said. “They settled on Landmark there on Grand River, she filled out the application along with my husband who is the guarantor.”
McWilliams said her daughter applied earlier this month and was provided a monthly rate of $874 for a two-bedroom and two-bathroom apartment, where two of the three people will share a room.
The family found that their checking account was charged $250 for the application fee and $500 for the deposit. And then a few days later management sent over the agreement to sign.
“She got the contract back but it was not the price that we had applied at. It was $75 more a month, or $900 more a year, and the same was true for her roommates,” the mother added.
This would bring an additional $2700 a year for the three roommates combined.
“Which is not insignificant and my fear is that if they’re doing it to these girls, they’re doing it to other people too,” she said.
Although the group is moving forward with the living arrangements, the family is hoping to get some answers to their questions.
“A lot of times people think they can take advantage of the younger population it’s a shame,” McWilliams added.
6 News was provided a statement from a student living spokesperson from the company:
“We have seen a high demand in several markets, Landmark on Grand River being one of them. Our team manages a waitlist for certain buildings and as units are made available applicants are granted access in the order in which they applied. During that process, rents may change based on demand, which is noted in our website.”
