Michigan Senate Bill SB0021

Michigan 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/22/25
• Refer: 1/22/25
• Report Pass: 6/11/25
• Refer: 6/11/25
• Report Pass: 6/17/25

Caption

Housing: landlord and tenants; prohibition against tenants right to repair; disallow in truth and renting act. Amends secs. 3 & 4 of 1978 PA 454 (MCL 554.633 & 554.634). TIE BAR WITH: SB 19'25, SB 20'25

Summary

Senate Bill 21 amends Michigan’s Truth in Renting Act to expand the list of lease terms that are prohibited in residential rental agreements. The bill would continue to void lease provisions that waive tenant protections or landlord obligations, including terms affecting habitability, security deposits, civil rights, jury trial rights, eviction procedures, mitigation of damages, repair-and-deduct or rent withholding rights, and other statutory remedies. It also bars rental clauses that conflict with later-enacted law or binding court decisions, and it preserves limited exceptions for certain insurance-related liability waivers and for some notice-based rent or rule changes. The bill also adds a new disclosure requirement for rental agreements. Landlords would have to include the notice required under the act and, if they intend to offer a lease renewal with a rent increase, provide written renewal notice stating the increased rent amount within specified timeframes for one-year leases and leases of 13 months or more. The bill is tied to Senate Bills 19 and 20, meaning it does not take effect unless those companion bills are also enacted.

Impact

SB 21 would amend sections 3 and 4 of the Truth in Renting Act, MCL 554.633 and 554.634, by making additional lease provisions unenforceable and by requiring more specific notice language in rental agreements. In practice, it strengthens tenant protections by limiting landlords’ ability to contract around statutory rights, including the right to repair and deduct or withhold rent for unresolved repairs, and by requiring advance notice of rent increases tied to lease renewals. It would affect landlords, tenants, consumer cooperatives, and courts interpreting residential lease terms in Michigan.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill was generally supported in committee, as it was reported favorably without amendment by an 8-3 vote. The bill’s structure and caption indicate it is part of a broader housing package, which often signals coordinated support among sponsors and allied members. No transcript excerpts were provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate broader public sentiment beyond the committee vote.

Contention

The main points of contention likely center on the bill’s restriction of landlord contract terms and its explicit protection of tenant remedies. Landlords or landlord advocates may object to the prohibition on waiving repair-and-deduct rights, limits on unilateral lease changes, and the added notice requirements for rent increases, viewing them as constraints on lease flexibility and property management. Tenant advocates are likely to support these provisions because they preserve statutory rights, prevent overreaching lease clauses, and improve transparency. The 8-3 committee vote indicates some disagreement, but the specific arguments of the dissenting members are not available in the provided materials.