The Paletz Law Blog

Massive Donation: Another Cause for Landlord Concern in Michigan

Advocacy groups that seek to protect people’s rights are a good thing. It’s when their activism becomes adversarial and intentionally or unintentionally infringes on the rights of others that it’s cause for alarm. 

In the past few years, a growing number of tenant advocacy groups have made it more complicated for Michigan landlords to provide safe and affordable housing. Just like robust funding during the COVID era, another example is a $2.5 million donation to Lakeshore Legal Aid from MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire former spouse of Jeff Bezos. The organization calls the donation “transformational” regarding its operations.   

This and other tenant advocacy groups, which express the right intention to help residents navigate the labyrinth of government bureaucracy, are unfortunately or unwittingly helping to fuel Michigan’s increasingly anti-landlord environment. Most landlords demonstrate respect for their tenants and have a financial interest in providing safe, comfortable housing with reasonable rates that tenants can afford.

While advocacy groups have stated their good intentions, their activism can work against the people they seek to serve by creating additional strain on the landlord-tenant relationship. Further, by adding regulations that burden property owners with unnecessary financial and legal hurdles, tenants are left with:

•        Properties that cannot be updated or repaired 
•        Potentially dangerous or disruptive neighbors
•        Rate Increases

The Bottom Line: Paletz Law remains undeterred in the face of these continuing challenges to landlords and investors. Talk with one of our attorneys and get answers to your questions. We are committed to providing tenacious advocacy for our clients.