The City of Ann Arbor adopted a“Right to Renew” ordinance last night.
Landlords will no longer be allowed to deny a tenant a lease renewal without cause. If they do, they would have to pay the tenant up to two times the current rent to cover the cost of relocating.
Renters could also file a lawsuit if there were additional damages.
Ann Arbor City Council voted 10-to-1 in favor of “right to renew”. It’s a significant change because more than half of Ann Arbor’s residents live in rental properties.
Zackariah Farah is the chair of the Ann Arbor Renters Commission.
“Many landlords in our city actually do make an offer for renewal to their current tenants, consistently. And this is exactly what the goal of the law is.”
Ward 1 council member Jeff Hayner was the lone “no” vote for the ordinance. He cited issues, such as filling up the courts with disputes over whether landlords have just cause to deny renewals.
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