The Paletz Law Blog

House Bill 5564 Aims to Keep Municipalities Out of a Landlord’s Business

April 5th, 2024 | By: Paletz Law Press

Just in from Lansing …

We have spent a good amount of time and effort letting our clients know about legislation that is pending or passed in the Michigan legislature that affects the way you do business.  Finally, there’s some good news potentially on the horizon with a new legislative proposal that could give landlords some relief from unfair restrictions placed on your ability to manage your property effectively and who you rent to. 

District 35 Michigan State Representative Andrew Fink, who is from the Hillsdale area, has introduced House Bill 5564, which would prohibit local government ordinances that contribute to driving up landlord costs and making housing less affordable. 

House Bill 5564 would prohibit municipalities from enacting or enforcing any ordinance which would:

• Prevent landlords from obtaining information about a prospective tenant’s financial or criminal history.

• Prohibit a landlord from entering into a rental agreement with a prospective tenant while another tenant resides in the property.

• Prohibit a landlord from showing their property to a prospective tenant while another tenant resides in the property.

In introducing the legislation, Rep. Fink said, “Ordinances like these are driving up the cost of rental properties, making Michigan a less affordable place to live and raise a family. And preventing landlords from screening tenants based on criminal history is unsafe for neighboring residents in multi-family dwellings. Our state law should protect the property rights and safety of Michigan residents.”

The Bottom Line: The bill has been referred to the Committee on Economic Development and Small Business.  We encourage you to call your local state Representative to encourage them to push this out of committee and send it to the House floor for passage.