Miell’s rental business closes in Cedar Rapids

Elite Properties of Iowa, the rental property company of legally embattled Cedar Rapids landlord Robert Miell, has closed its office under bankruptcy trusteeship.

The office at 1956 First Ave. NE closed on Friday. Calls to the office went unanswered and a message on the answering machine directed callers seeking a rental to a Web site that is no longer active. Attorney Renee Hanrahan, who oversaw the business as court-appointed bankruptcy trustee, was not available for comment.

Miell's company went into bankruptcy last year with more than 460 properties. The trustee has asked or obtained court permissions to sell about 170 properties, most of them to banks that loaned Miell the money to buy them. She has also abandoned at least six properties that were deemed to have no value to Miell's creditors.

Miell, 55, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to 18 counts of mail fraud and two counts of perjury and was convicted by a jury of two counts of tax fraud in January 2009. He has since sought to withdraw his plea, saying his attorney didn't advise him of the restitution and penalties he could face.

Some of Miell's former tenants are uncertain about how much longer they'll be able to stay in their homes.

A Marion woman who rented from Elite Properties said the new owner of her rental property has it up for sale, but indicated plans to continue renting to her until it is sold. She has been asked by a management company for the new owner to prove that she made a damage deposit on the house, but couldn't find any answers during a visit to the bankruptcy court office about how to provide that proof.

“If I would have known what I was getting into, I never would have rented this,” said the woman, who has had difficulty getting maintenance done on the house. The woman declined to give her name because she was afraid of losing her home. She has rented from Miell for about three years.

Miell's attorneys have asked that Hanrahan be removed as trustee, alleging she has mismanaged the bankruptcy estate, and is not a disinterested party because she previously represented tenants who sued Miell in court. Hanrahan's attorney objected to the motion on Monday, saying Miell should be required to provide specific evidence of his claims and he should also be required to post a bond to ensure his creditors would not suffer damage from the trustee's removal from the case.