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Michigan bills would require landlords to do repairs within 48 hours or renters can withhold rent
(michiganadvance.com)
this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2025
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Uhm, cool, but ...
Rent isn't due every 48 hours.
So, the landlord can effectively wait a month.
When you withhold rent, you do so until the terms are met, then you pay what's owed. It isn't a discount, it's an incentive.
(e.g., the toilet is not functional. Okay. Rent is $2k, but I am renting a place with a bathroom, and I don't have that. Get me my bathroom and I'll get you your $2k.)
So... I don't get it. You cannot enforce 48 hours unless the repair is requested less than 48 hours before rent is due.
It also allows tenants to make arrangements themselves to get the issue repaired after the 48 hours and deduct it from rent.
That sounds like the landlord’s now just never going to get anything fixed
Hey if I'm allowed to call a plumber I trust and actually get a fix and not the landlord special, that's a win!
If the landlord's paying for it I'm not gonna haggle on price.
They will when I keep booking the most expensive handymen in town.
Good point. Although, anything non-utility related is subject to the woes private equity not serving the public interest.
i.e. if you rent in an apartment building, this isn't an option in every city. Some local plumbers are NOT gonna touch the pipes on a corporate owned building. That kinda thing. All the way to where I have lived in a unit, had plumbing issues (thus the broken toilet analogy), and the case was such that the only plumber that would come to the building was the one that the building contracted out for the building.
In my case, this meant that my plumbing issues were known, unfixable, and fuck me. My recourse was withholding rent until the end of my lease, with only the obligation to pay what is owed if they prove the issue has been resolved.
Ultimately, this lead to them not renewing my lease.
I did get away with withholding and not paying 3 months rent. They still sent to collections, and I spent more than that fighting it.
I am now suing for damages.
Ultimately, I will win, but the stress is not worth the value of 3 months rent saved (+ "damages")
Effectively half a month on average.
It's better than nothing. Wish it were better but it's a step in the right direction.
I guess Michigan could pass a law requiring landlords to accept rent payments every day. I'm not sure anyone would actually want that as a reform.
I guess the question becomes - can you bill your landlord if you are forced to live outside their property, and deduct that cost from rent? If that's the case, the withheld rent becomes a means by which you can immediately recoup the cost of housing outside the rental unit.
Even then, just the threat of non-payment is a big deal for a landlord who is - themself - likely paying a note on the property and at risk of default if they can't use your money to pay their own creditors. The possibility of missing a mortgage payment creates a natural incentive to fix the property sooner rather than later.
As it stands, this would be a significant improvement to landlord/tenant relations. Which is why it likely won't pass.