6/12/2024

UPPER MICHIGAN - Bills making their way through the state legislature aim to increase renter rights by requiring landlords to make timely repairs and give ample notice of rent increases.  SB 900-903, otherwise known as the Tenant Empowerment Package, was introduced by Sen. Sarah Anthony (D), Lansing, last week. Under the proposed legislation, landlords have 24 hours to address hazardous conditions in a rental unit. They will have 72 hours to fix broken appliances and a week to make any other repairs. If those deadlines aren’t met, tenants could deduct the cost of making the repairs themselves or withhold their rent completely.  The bill package would also require property managers to notify tenants of a rent increase three months before the end of a 12-month lease and six months before the end of a lease greater than 13 months.  She’s hoping to get the bill package to the Governor’s desk for a signature, “as soon as possible.”  The bill comes as the result of the number of red-tagged apartments in the Lansing area.