Mich. Comp. Laws § § 37.1503
Certain rentals excepted from MCL 37.1502.
Operative Text
Sec. 503. Section 502 shall not apply to the rental of a housing accommodation in a building which contains housing accommodations for not more than 2 families living independently of each other, if the owner or a member of the owner's immediate family resides in 1 of the housing accommodations, or to the rental of a room or rooms in a single housing dwelling by a person if the lessor or a member of the lessor's immediate family resides therein.
Michigan Civil Rights Act § 37.1503 carves out two specific situations from the general prohibition on housing discrimination found in § 37.1502. First, the anti-discrimination rule does not apply when a property has no more than two independent living units and the owner or an immediate family member of the owner lives in one of those units. Second, the rule also does not apply when someone rents out a room or rooms within a single dwelling where the lessor or an immediate family member of the lessor actually resides. These exceptions are sometimes referred to as 'owner-occupant' exemptions and reflect a legislative judgment that close, shared-living arrangements are treated differently under the statute.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners covered by § 37.1503 should understand that this exception is narrow and fact-specific: it applies only when the building has two units or fewer and the owner or an immediate family member genuinely occupies one of those units, or when the owner is renting rooms within their own home. Operators who qualify for this exemption under § 37.1503 are generally not subject to the anti-discrimination requirements of § 37.1502 for those particular rentals, but the exemption does not extend to advertising or other conduct that may be governed by separate provisions. Landlords who believe they may qualify should be familiar with how Michigan courts and agencies have interpreted 'immediate family' and 'resides' in the context of this section.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Tenants should be aware that § 37.1503 limits the reach of Michigan's housing anti-discrimination protections in certain owner-occupied settings, meaning that some small-scale landlords may lawfully decline to rent on bases that would otherwise be prohibited under § 37.1502. If a tenant believes a landlord is improperly claiming this exemption — for example, if the owner does not actually live in the building — that may be a basis for challenging the denial of housing protections. Tenants in this situation may consider contacting a local tenant-rights organization or the Michigan Department of Civil Rights to better understand whether the exemption legitimately applies to their circumstances.
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 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation