Benton Harbor, MI Code of Ordinances Ch. 20 Art. V Landlord-Tenant Code §§ 20-88 – 20-164 § 20-111
Tenant’s remedies for failure to supply heat, water or hot water
Operative Text
(a) If the landlord fails to provide hot water to a roomer, boarder or apartment building tenant, when the building is equipped for the purpose, for one week after the tenant notifies him of the failure, the tenant may: (1) Upon written notice to the landlord, immediately terminate the rental agreement; or (2) Upon notice to the landlord, procure adequate substitute housing for as long as heat or water is no supplied, during which time the rent shall abate and the landlord shall be liable for any additional expense incurred by the tenant, up to one-half the amount of abated rent. This additional expense shall not be chargeable to the landlord if he is able to show impossibility of performance. (Ord. of 6-9-77, § 5.07)
Under Benton Harbor, MI Code of Ordinances § 20-111, when a landlord fails to supply hot water to a roomer, boarder, or apartment tenant in a building equipped for that purpose, and the failure continues for one week after the tenant provides notice, the tenant gains specific legal remedies. The tenant may either terminate the rental agreement immediately upon written notice, or arrange substitute housing while rent is suspended for the duration of the outage. If the tenant chooses substitute housing, the landlord may be held responsible for additional costs the tenant incurs, up to half the amount of the abated rent, unless the landlord can demonstrate that providing hot water was impossible.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers subject to Benton Harbor, MI Code of Ordinances § 20-111 generally maintain functioning hot water systems in buildings equipped for that purpose and respond promptly when tenants report outages. A compliant operator typically addresses a reported hot water failure well within the one-week window the ordinance establishes before tenant remedies are triggered. Operators who can document a genuine impossibility of performance—such as circumstances entirely outside their control—may have a defense against liability for a tenant's substitute housing costs, making thorough record-keeping a standard practice.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under Benton Harbor, MI Code of Ordinances § 20-111, tenants in buildings equipped for hot water who experience a landlord's failure to supply it have defined remedies once one week has passed after notifying the landlord. Those remedies include the option to terminate the rental agreement in writing or to seek substitute housing while rent is suspended, with the landlord potentially liable for up to half the abated rent in additional expenses. Tenants who believe this provision applies to their situation may consider consulting a local tenant-rights organization, reviewing the full Benton Harbor Landlord-Tenant Code, or contacting a housing attorney to understand which remedy path is available to them.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 14, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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