Simtob Seeks Tax Breaks for 440 Lansing Units
The Lansing property manager asks for a 15-year tax agreement while planning $11 million in renovations.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Apartments
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Simtob Management, a Lansing property company, has requested tax breaks for four apartment properties totaling 440 units. The company says it has already spent $9 million on repairs after the city sued it in 2023 over 29 red-tagged apartments.
Why it matters
The request ties a property owner's renovation plans to public tax relief, a trade-off that affects how much repair costs are passed to tenants in Lansing. The city council has not yet approved the request, though the mayor's office supports it.
Simtob reports $9 million in repairs so far and plans $11 million more over five years across 440 units, with 29 apartments previously red-tagged as unsafe in 2023. Whether the full renovation plan will proceed as projected remains unconfirmed pending council action.
The players
Simtob Management
A Lansing property management company that owns the four apartment properties at the center of the tax break request and has faced city enforcement over unsafe units.
City of Lansing
The Michigan city whose council must approve the PILOT request and which previously sued Simtob Management over red-tagged apartments.
The details
Under the proposed Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements, the company would pay reduced taxes for 15 years, provided it submits annual financial reports and completes renovations. If renovations stop or are only partly delivered, the properties would revert to paying full taxes.
Timeline
2023: The city of Lansing sued Simtob Management over red-tagged apartments.
November 2024: All four properties were brought into compliance.
Next five years: Planned $11 million renovation work is expected to be completed.
15 years: Duration of the proposed tax agreements.
Market Landscape
Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreements are a common Michigan tool for development incentives, and this request applies that tool to repairs of existing rental housing rather than new construction. The proposal shows how cities can link tax relief to property condition commitments, a model that depends on annual reporting and clear reversion terms if work stalls.
If approved, tenants in the four properties could see renovation work over the next five years without the full cost being raised through rent, though the agreements depend on annual financial reporting. Residents should watch council action and the company's compliance reports to judge whether the promised repairs are delivered.
The takeaway
Tax relief for repairs is only as good as its enforcement, so Lansing residents should track the annual reports and the reversion-to-full-tax terms that protect the city if renovations stall.
What happens next
The Lansing City Council will decide whether to approve the PILOT request for the four properties.
Further reading
For more on rental housing conditions and ownership, see Apartments coverage for Lansing.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WLNS 6 Lansing.
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