Ann Arbor Tenant Rights: Right to Renew, $50 Fee Cap, Fair Chance

Short answer: Ann Arbor tenant rights go well beyond Michigan’s baseline even though the state bans rent control. The city’s Right to Renew ordinance stops landlords from leasing your unit to someone else until 210 days into your lease and requires good cause to refuse a renewal, application fees are capped at $50, and from August 1, 2026 mandatory fees must be folded into the advertised rent. Source of income, arrest record and criminal history are also off-limits in tenant selection under city ordinances.

In Ann Arbor the timing of next year’s lease is the local fight. The city answered it by regulating when and how a landlord may start leasing for the next term, and in 2024 it rebuilt that rule into a renewal right for the current tenant. This page covers that ordinance, the city’s fee and screening rules, the 15th District Court, and the Michigan statutes that govern deposits and notices.

Ann Arbor tenant rights at a glance

Topic	Ann Arbor rule	Source
Rent control	None; Michigan bars local rent control	MCL 123.411
Renewal and good cause	Renewal offer no earlier than 180 days into the lease; non-renewal needs good cause; no showings or new lease until 210 days in	City Code Ch. 105, Sec. 8:530
Fees	Application fee max $50; pre-tenancy fees banned; mandatory fees in rent from Aug. 1, 2026	City Code Sec. 8:532; ORD-26-04
Screening	No denial for source of income or arrest record; criminal history barred in tenant selection	Ch. 112; Fair Chance Access to Housing Ordinance
Deposit cap and deadline	1.5 months’ rent; itemized notice of damages within 30 days	MCL 554.602, 554.609
Entry notice	No state notice period; city booklet says entry generally needs your permission except as the law allows	Rights and Duties of Tenants booklet
Eviction court	15th Judicial District Court, Civil Division, Ann Arbor Justice Center	15th District Court
Key agency	Rental Housing Services, (734) 794-6264 option 1	City of Ann Arbor

Right to Renew: how leasing works in Ann Arbor

The city’s Right to Renew guide explains Section 8:530 of Chapter 105, formerly called the Early Leasing Ordinance. It applies to leases of at least eight months for units in city limits that were entered, renewed or renegotiated after March 17, 2024, unless the unit is under a conflicting government income, age or rent restriction. Tenants cannot waive it.

The timeline runs like this:

180 days in: the landlord must tell you whether it intends to offer a successive lease, and cannot make the offer earlier. The offer must list the parties, the address, the rent and fees, the term and every change from your current lease.
Your response: you get at least 30 days to accept.
The lease: the landlord has 30 days after your acceptance to provide it, you have 10 days to sign and return it, and the landlord then has 10 days to countersign.
210 days in: only now may the landlord show the unit to prospective tenants or lease it to someone else.

For leases longer than 12 months, the clock starts on the first day of the final 12-month period. If the landlord will not renew, the notice must state good cause. The guide lists the allowed reasons: you did not accept in writing by the deadline, you did not return the signed lease within 10 days, the owner or immediate family will move in, the owner will not rent the unit for the next term, or a justification exists under MCL 600.5714.

Enforcement has teeth. A violation is a civil infraction with a fine of at least $500 for a first offense and at least $1,000 after that. You can also sue for damages or an injunction, and for a willful violation a court may order up to twice the relocation assistance payment plus costs and attorney fees.

Older leases follow older rules. If your lease was signed or renewed between October 16, 2022 and March 17, 2024, the 2022 versions of Sections 8:530 and 8:531 apply instead; the city’s Rental Housing Laws page links both versions and their complaint forms.

Fees, screening and the tenant booklet

The fee ordinance

Since January 26, 2025, Section 8:532 has capped rental application fees at $50 and banned pre-tenancy fees such as wait-list, holding, option, preparation and move-in fees. Ordinance ORD-26-04, adopted February 2, 2026 and effective August 1, 2026, tightened it for leases entered, renewed or renegotiated after that date:

The application fee must appear in the ad, the screening criteria must be disclosed in writing first, and the fee must be fully refunded if you are not offered a unit.
Mandatory fees, meaning any charge you must pay beyond rent, deposit and utilities, have to be built into the base rent rather than billed separately.
Optional fees, such as pet, parking or lock-out fees, are allowed only for an action you take or an obligation you miss that costs the landlord money, and they must be listed on the first page of the lease or in one addendum titled “Optional Tenancy Fees.”
You cannot be charged for parking you did not agree to use.

Fraternities, sororities, student cooperatives and short-term rentals are exempt. Violations carry fines starting at $500, and an applicant or tenant can sue.

Who a landlord may turn away

Ann Arbor’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance, Chapter 112, bars denying housing based on a long list of traits that includes arrest record, source of income such as a housing voucher, educational association, height, weight and HIV status, along with the familiar federal categories. The city’s fair housing poster adds that the Fair Chance Access to Housing Ordinance prohibits landlords with one or more city units from using criminal history in tenant selection. If federal or state law requires a background check, the landlord must first make a conditional offer, give written notice of the specific requirement and get your consent, and must explain any withdrawal in writing.

The Rights and Duties of Tenants booklet

Under City Charter sections 19.7 to 19.13, landlords must give tenants the city’s Rights and Duties of Tenants booklet, and failing to do so is punishable by a fine of up to $500. The February 2026 edition has three sections, written by the city, by tenant advocates and by landlord advocates. If you never received it, that is worth mentioning in any dispute.

A worked example: Lena near Central Campus

Lena, a graduate student, signs a 12-month lease starting September 1, 2026 at $1,800 a month. The listing shows a $50 application fee and a $35 monthly “amenity fee.”

Fees. Her lease was entered after August 1, 2026, so a mandatory amenity fee cannot be billed separately; it has to be part of the advertised base rent. The $50 application fee is at the cap.
Deposit. Michigan caps the deposit at 1.5 months’ rent, so the most her landlord can take is $2,700.
Renewal. Counting 180 days from September 1 lands on February 28, 2027, the earliest date her landlord may send a renewal offer. She then has at least 30 days to decide. No one may tour her apartment or sign a lease for it until 210 days in, March 30, 2027.
Non-renewal. If the landlord instead declines to renew, the notice must state one of the good-cause reasons. “We found a tenant willing to pay more” is not on the list.

When Lena moves out in August 2027, the landlord has 30 days to mail an itemized notice of damages with a check for the balance. She must answer by mail within 7 days, stating whether she agrees with each charge. Our security deposit demand letter helps if the money does not arrive.

Where Ann Arbor evictions are heard

The 15th Judicial District Court’s Civil Division handles landlord-tenant matters for the City of Ann Arbor, along with general civil cases up to $25,000 and small claims up to $7,000. Papers are filed in the clerk’s office on the fourth floor of the Ann Arbor Justice Center, Room 431, or electronically through MiFile.

Before filing, a Michigan landlord must serve a written notice. Under MCL 554.134, nonpayment allows a 7-day notice to quit, and a tenancy at will generally ends on one month’s notice, or a notice equal to the rent-payment interval when rent is due more often than every three months. Our Michigan eviction process guide covers the hearing, and the court finder helps if your rental is outside Ann Arbor city limits.

Who to call in Ann Arbor

Rental Housing Services: (734) 794-6264, option 1, for housing code complaints and Right to Renew violations. The city asks you to give the landlord a reasonable chance to fix a problem first, as its complaint page explains.
15th District Court Civil Division: questions about filings and court dates.
Ann Arbor Renters Commission: the city board that publishes renter resources and the rental law summaries linked above.
Legal Services of South Central Michigan: free legal advice and representation for low-income residents of Washtenaw County and neighboring counties.

Michigan law under every Ann Arbor lease

MCL 123.411 forbids any local government from enacting, maintaining or enforcing an ordinance that controls rent on private residential property, which is why Ann Arbor regulates fees and timing rather than rent levels. Your landlord can raise the rent at renewal by any amount, but under Section 8:530 the new rent must be stated in the renewal offer. See our Michigan rent increase guide for notice rules.

Deposits are capped at 1.5 months’ rent by MCL 554.602. Under MCL 554.609 the itemized notice of damages is due within 30 days after you leave, and MCL 554.613 generally bars the landlord from keeping disputed amounts without a court judgment obtained within 45 days. Our Michigan security deposit law guide has the full procedure.

For repairs, MCL 554.139 makes every landlord promise that the unit and common areas are fit for their intended use and kept in reasonable repair in line with state and local health and safety laws, which in Ann Arbor means Chapter 105. Leases of at least a year can modify those duties. Our Michigan repairs and habitability guide covers your repair options. Compare a larger Michigan city on our Detroit tenant rights page.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can my Ann Arbor landlord start showing my apartment?

For leases signed or renewed after March 17, 2024, not until 210 days into the current lease. For a lease starting September 1, that is late March.

Can my Ann Arbor landlord refuse to renew my lease for no reason?

No. Under the Right to Renew ordinance, a non-renewal notice must state good cause, such as an owner move-in, taking the unit off the rental market, or your failure to accept the offer in time.

Is a $250 holding fee legal in Ann Arbor?

No. Section 8:532 bans pre-tenancy fees, including holding, wait-list and move-in fees. Only an application fee of up to $50 is allowed before the lease starts.

Can a landlord reject my voucher in Ann Arbor?

No. Chapter 112 lists source of income, including housing vouchers, as a protected basis. If it happens, keep the ad and messages and contact the city about the refusal.

How much deposit can an Ann Arbor landlord charge?

No more than 1.5 months’ rent under Michigan law. The city’s fee ordinance does not change the deposit amount.

Do student co-ops and fraternity houses follow the fee rules?

No. Section 8:532 exempts fraternity and sorority houses, student cooperatives and short-term rentals.

This page is general information, not legal advice. If your landlord has violated the Right to Renew timeline or served an eviction notice, call Rental Housing Services at (734) 794-6264 and contact Legal Services of South Central Michigan about representation.