Detroit Landlord-Tenant Rules
Detroit adds local rules on top of Michigan landlord-tenant law. Here is what is different, with the city code or agency page behind each rule.
| Rent stabilization | Detroit has no rent control, and Michigan bars local governments from enacting, maintaining or enforcing it. State preemption. The full rule is covered on the Michigan state page. Source: MCL 123.411 |
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| Rental registration & certificate of compliance | Rental property owners must register with BSEED (free) and obtain a Certificate of Compliance before renting. This covers 1-2 family homes, apartments, rooming houses and rooms in owner-occupied homes. Under the rental ordinance overhaul effective May 1, 2025, each property gets one inspection against a 15-point safety checklist, including working heat, water, gas and electric, a roof that keeps water out, working windows with locks, smoke and CO detectors, handrails, and no deteriorated paint or bare soil. Landlords pay one annual rental fee. The first certificate lasts 3 years, and a renewal before it expires lasts 5 years. BSEED may accept HUD, MSHDA or HRD inspections. Violation tickets went up by $150, and unpaid tickets can become a property lien. BSEED tenant page: https://detroitmi.gov/departments/buildings-safety-engineering-and-environmental-department-bseed/bseed-divisions/property-maintenance/tenant-rental-property. After Michigan's health department weighed in, lead dust sampling was dropped and homes are checked visually for deteriorated paint and bare soil. Annual fee amounts were not verified. |
| Rent escrow program | Tenants can pay rent into the city's Rental Escrow Program, run by the Housing & Revitalization Department, if the unit lacks a required Certificate of Compliance or has documented code violations that pose a safety risk. The tenant must be current on rent, or catch up within 3 business days of applying. BSEED inspects, and an eligible unit is placed in escrow. Funds can go to repairs or are reviewed at least every 120 days. If the unit is brought into compliance the money goes to the landlord. If it stays out of compliance the money goes back to the tenant, less administrative fees. Any material change to the tenancy within 90 days after a tenant uses these protections is presumed retaliatory. The PDF is labeled final and dated September 17, 2025. Its effective date was not confirmed. |
| Local fair housing protected classes | Detroit's Human Rights ordinance covers all federal and Michigan protected classes. It adds public benefit status, sexual orientation and gender identity. From a 2023 fair-housing brochure on detroitmi.gov, not the code text. Michigan's statewide source-of-income protection (2025) is on the state page. Source: Detroit City Code Ch. 27 |
| Habitability/code enforcement & complaint line | To report rental conditions or request a free inspection, call BSEED at (313) 224-2733 or file the online Rental Complaint form. Property Maintenance questions: (313) 628-2451. The city also publishes a Rental Compliance Map showing which properties have certificates. Source: Detroit City Code Ch. 8 |
Eviction cases in Detroit are heard in: 36th District Court, General Civil and Landlord-Tenant Division (421 Madison St.)
Eviction court, fees and help
Right to a lawyer in eviction cases
Yes. Under the Right to Counsel law approved in May 2022, tenant households facing eviction in 36th District Court with gross income up to 200% of the federal poverty level get a free lawyer. Ask the judge at the hearing, go to room 417, or call (866) 313-2520. Official source
Local agencies
- Buildings, Safety Engineering & Environmental Department (BSEED), Property Maintenance — Rental registration, Certificates of Compliance, inspections and rental complaints. (313) 224-2733.
- Detroit Law Department, Office of Eviction Defense — Runs Right to Counsel, with free lawyers at 36th District Court. Law Dept. (313) 224-4550. Detroit Housing Resource Helpline (866) 313-2520.
- Housing & Revitalization Department (HRD) — Administers the Rental Escrow Program.
Frequently asked questions
What landlord-tenant rules does Detroit add on top of Michigan law?
Rent stabilization: Detroit has no rent control, and Michigan bars local governments from enacting, maintaining or enforcing it.; Rental registration & certificate of compliance: Rental property owners must register with BSEED (free) and obtain a Certificate of Compliance before renting. This covers 1-2 family homes, apartments, rooming houses and rooms in owner-occupied homes. Under the rental ordinance overhaul effective May 1, 2025, each property gets one inspection against a 15-point safety checklist, including working heat, water, gas and electric, a roof that keeps water out, working windows with locks, smoke and CO detectors, handrails, and no deteriorated paint or bare soil. Landlords pay one annual rental fee. The first certificate lasts 3 years, and a renewal before it expires lasts 5 years. BSEED may accept HUD, MSHDA or HRD inspections. Violation tickets went up by $150, and unpaid tickets can become a property lien.; Rent escrow program: Tenants can pay rent into the city's Rental Escrow Program, run by the Housing & Revitalization Department, if the unit lacks a required Certificate of Compliance or has documented code violations that pose a safety risk. The tenant must be current on rent, or catch up within 3 business days of applying. BSEED inspects, and an eligible unit is placed in escrow. Funds can go to repairs or are reviewed at least every 120 days. If the unit is brought into compliance the money goes to the landlord. If it stays out of compliance the money goes back to the tenant, less administrative fees. Any material change to the tenancy within 90 days after a tenant uses these protections is presumed retaliatory.; Local fair housing protected classes: Detroit's Human Rights ordinance covers all federal and Michigan protected classes. It adds public benefit status, sexual orientation and gender identity.
← All Michigan landlord-tenant rules
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.