The Paletz Law Blog

What Landlords Need to Know: Recent Changes in Ann Arbor, Pontiac, and Detroit

August 13th, 2026 | By: Paletz Law Press

For those who own or manage rental property in Michigan, it’s worth pausing to take stock of a few recent changes coming out of local courts and city governments. From new pricing rules in Ann Arbor to updated filing requirements in Pontiac and changing court procedures in Detroit, these developments could affect how you manage your properties, prepare your paperwork, and move through the eviction process.

Here’s a rundown of what’s changed and what it means for your day-to-day operations.

Ann Arbor: New “All-In” Pricing Rules for Advertised Rent

Starting August 1st, Ann Arbor is requiring landlords to advertise rent as an all-in number. If you’re signing a new lease or a renewal in the city, any mandatory recurring monthly charge — think administrative fees, amenity fees, or maintenance fees — now has to be baked into the rent you advertise, rather than tacked on separately.

A few things are still allowed to be listed separately: utilities, security deposits, and optional fees. But even those need to be clearly spelled out in the lease itself.

What this means for you: Now is a good time to take a fresh look at your fee structure. If you’re currently listing a “base rent” plus a handful of add-on fees, you’ll likely need to fold those fees into your advertised price and update your marketing materials and lease templates accordingly.

Pontiac: 50th District Court Rolls Out New Document Requirements

The 50th District Court in Pontiac has introduced what it’s calling an “enhanced case management process” for landlord-tenant cases. In practice, this means the court now wants landlords to submit a set of supporting documents right when a case is filed, or as soon as possible afterward.

Be ready to provide:

• Certificate of Compliance
• Proof of Rental Property Registration
• Proof of your most recent City of Pontiac rental inspection
• Proof of your most recent HUD/NSPIRE inspection (if your property is subject to one)
• Current lease agreement
• Most recent rent ledger
• Property management company information (if applicable)

What this means for you: If you have a rental property in Pontiac, it’s a good idea to gather these documents now rather than scrambling when a case comes up. Keeping your registration, inspection records, and ledgers current and easy to pull together will help avoid delays if you ever need to file for an eviction.

Detroit: 36th District Court Adjusts Its Landlord-Tenant Procedures

The 36th District Court has implemented changes that affect how landlord-tenant cases will move through their court system.

First-hearings Now in Person: The court is now mandating that all appearances be made in person. In addition, though the court was not allowing entry of default judgments at the first hearing in the past, some Judges may now do so on a case-by-case basis and so long as a second mailing is completed. Further, they may also be requiring additional compliance documents be tendered in response to the lawsuit detailed below.  

Lawsuit Filed Against the 36th District Court: A tenants’ rights group has filed a lawsuit asking the court to require judges to independently confirm that a property has a valid Certificate of Compliance (CoC) before entering any judgment for rent or possession. Right now, this is still being handled differently by the various judges, and the lawsuit is far from being resolved.

What this means for you: We’re tracking these issues very closely and will adjust how we file and prepare your cases as the court’s approach continues to develop. Our goal remains the same: putting you in the strongest possible position to obtain the rifle you are seeking, while staying in step with the court’s requirements.

As always, we will keep you informed as these situations come up. If you have questions about how any of these changes affect your properties, reach out to Paletz Law.