Target: Joe Tate, Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives
Goal: Support the rights of renters to fair and safe housing arrangements.
Both Texas and Florida are considering laws that would significantly lessen protections for renters. Because property law is a patchwork of state and local guidelines, such measures have become an increasingly common means of whittling away at the rights of people who often cannot afford to own their home and who may struggle to keep up with payments. Both anti-poverty and consumer advocacy groups decry this erosion of rights.
The Biden administration recently proposed a Blueprint for a Renters’ Bill of Rights, and suggested codification of the proposed principles into property law. Among the issues central to the blueprint are safe and affordable housing, clear and fair leases, eviction diversion, tenants’ rights to organize, and strict enforcement of all rights via the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Michigan could become one of the first states to make these protections a reality. It has introduced its own renters’ bill of rights, consisting of about 30 separate actions.
Now the effort needs legislative support. Sign the petition below to encourage this state to become a trailblazer and leader in renters’ rights.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker Tate,
With the housing market in flux and economic stressors still weighing down many Americans, a helping hand is needed to ensure as many individuals and families as possible have a place to call home. While other states are choosing to move in the opposite direction by cracking down on the rights of tenants, Michigan has the opportunity to chart a different course. The state’s proposed renters’ bill of rights could put Michigan at the forefront of tenant protection.
If these measures are enacted, they will have the full support of the federal government, which unveiled its own blueprint for renter safeguards. Departments from the Federal Housing Finance Agency to the Department of Housing and Urban Development are part of this effort at the national level. Let Michigan become the blueprint for a better path forward.
Support and pass a full renters’ bill of rights.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Guilherme Rossi
219 Signatures