SENATE BILL NO. 554

October 03, 2023, Introduced by Senators CAVANAGH, CHANG, BAYER, WOJNO and SHINK and referred to the Committee on Housing and Human Services.

A bill to amend 1972 PA 348, entitled

"An act to regulate relationships between landlords and tenants relative to rental agreements for rental units; to regulate the payment, repayment, use and investment of security deposits; to provide for commencement and termination inventories of rental units; to provide for termination arrangements relative to rental units; to provide for legal remedies; and to provide penalties,"

(MCL 554.601 to 554.616) by adding section 1d.

the people of the state of michigan enact:

Sec. 1d. (1) A tenant in a metered or sub-metered rental premises may request that the landlord do either of the following:

(a) Send a copy of the water and sewer bill to both the landlord and the tenant.

(b) Transfer the water and sewer bill for the tenant's rental unit in the tenant's name and make the tenant responsible for that water and sewer bill.

(2) A landlord that receives a request under subsection (1) shall do all of the following:

(a) Approve the tenant's request.

(b) No later than 60 days after receiving the request under subsection (1)(b), transfer the water and sewer bill in the tenant's name.

(c) Ensure that the costs of the water and sewer bill are not included in the tenant's rental payment.

(3) A landlord shall not discriminate or retaliate against a tenant that complies with subsection (1). For purposes of this subsection, discrimination or retaliation against a tenant includes, but is not limited to, shutting off the tenant's access to water in the tenant's rental unit or increasing the tenant's rental payment in violation of the lease agreement because of the tenant's compliance with subsection (1).

(4) A rental agreement entered into, renewed, or renegotiated after the effective date of the amendatory act that added this section must contain the requirements of this section.

(5) If this section conflicts with a federal law regulating subsidized housing, the federal law prevails.

(6) This section applies only to leases entered into, renewed, or renegotiated after the effective date of the amendatory act that added this section, in accordance with the constitutional prohibition against impairments of contract as provided by section 10 of article I of the state constitution of 1963.