Written by Forrest Wall, CAE, Director of Regulatory & Legal Affairs
Home Builders Association of Michigan
Inspection Legislation Introduced
Legislation proposed in the Michigan House of Representatives would require landlords to notify residents of rental inspection violations. House Bill 4183 would amend the Housing Law of Michigan to add a mandate that a property owner must notify residents within 48 hours of receipt of an inspection violation notice from an enforcing agency. The proposal allows for four options in which the property owner can communicate the notice to the resident including:
- By sending a copy of the notice to each occupant by certified or registered mail
- By sending a scanned copy of the notice to each occupant via e-mail
- By personal delivery of the notice to each occupant with a sign-off from the occupant that the notice has been received
- By posting a copy of the notice in a common area in the premises, with the requirement that it remain posted until the violation is resolved
- The bill has been referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform for consideration.
Smoke Alarm Law Proposed
House Bill 4382 would ban the distribution/sale of smoke alarms powered by replaceable and removeable batteries in Michigan beginning April 1, 2022. The bill further requires that smoke alarms distributed/sold after April 1, 2022 must be powered for not less than 10 years by a nonremovable and nonreplaceable battery or by another power source utilizing new technology. The legislation would not apply to hard-wired or wirelessly linked alarms.
President Biden Issues Memorandum on Fair Housing
President Biden has issued a memorandum entitled “Redressing Our Nation’s and the Federal Government’s History of Discriminatory Housing Practices and Policies” which directs HUD to review the Trump Administration’s regulatory actions related to Fair Housing. The memorandum specifically addresses the Trump Administration rule on disparate impact, and goes on to direct HUD to take the steps necessary based on the review to fully implement the Fair Housing Act’s requirements.