Rental Restrictions

November 19, 2025

Michigan Court Rules that Long-Term Rental is a Commercial Use

Michigan Court Rules that Long-Term Rental is a Commercial Use The Michigan courts have consistently held that short-term rentals are neither residential nor commercial uses when interpreting restrictive covenants.  While numerous cases from the Michigan Court of Appeals hold that short-term rentals violate residential and commercial use deed restrictions, these cases have not addressed whether long-term rentals also violate a…
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August 1, 2023

Michigan Court of Appeals Holds that Short-Term Rentals Violate Residential Use Restrictions

Michigan Court of Appeals Holds that Short-Term Rentals Violate Residential Use Restrictions Since 2004, the Michigan Court of Appeals has repeatedly determined that short-term rentals within Michigan communities that are subject to residential, business, and commercial restrictions are prohibited because they are commercial activities that are inconsistent with residential use. Notwithstanding this clear and consistent judicial record, property owners in…
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January 4, 2023

Court Rules HOA’s Restrictive Covenants Prohibit Short-Term Rentals Even Though Leasing Was Allowed

HOA short-term rental restrictions continue to remain a hot button issue for municipalities, property owners, and homeowners associations in Michigan.  During the 2021-2022 legislative session, numerous short-term rental bills, specifically HB 4722, HB 4985, HB 5465, HB 5466, HB 5605, SB 446, and SB 547, were introduced in the Michigan legislature that attempted to define short-term rentals for zoning purposes,…
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November 7, 2018

Michigan Court of Appeals Rules in Favor of Township in Zoning Ordinance Dispute Over Short-Term Rentals

On October 25, 2018, the Michigan Court of Appeals issued an unpublished opinion in the matter of Concerned Property Owners of Garfield Township, Inc v Charter Township of Garfield, unpublished per curiam opinion of the Court of Appeals, issued October 25, 2018 (Docket No. 342831). The Garfield case involved the interpretation of a zoning ordinance that addressed short-term rentals of…
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