Detroit — Ch. 22 Art. VIII Fair Chance Access to Rental Housing § 22-8-10
Exercise of protected rights; retaliation prohibited
Operative Text
(a) It shall be unlawful for a housing provider or any other person to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of, or the attempt to exercise, any right provided under this article. (b) It shall be unlawful for a housing provider to interrupt, terminate, or fail or refuse to initiate or conduct a transaction involving the rental or lease of eligible housing, including falsely representing that such property is not available for rental or lease, or otherwise take adverse action against a person in retaliation for exercising rights protected under this article. Such rights include but are not limited to: (1) The right to file a complaint or inform any person about a housing provider's alleged violation of this article; (2) The right to inform the administering agency about a housing provider's alleged violation of this article; (3) The right to cooperate with the administering or enforcing agencies or other persons in the investigation or prosecution of any alleged violation of this article; or (4) The right to inform any person of his or her rights under this article. (c) Protections of this section shall apply to any person who mistakenly, but in good faith, alleges violations of this article. (d) Taking adverse action against a person within 90 calendar days of the exercise of one or more of the rights described in this section shall create a rebuttable presumption in the administering agency's investigation that such adverse action was taken in retaliation for the exercise of those rights.
Detroit Ch. 22 Art. VIII § 22-8-10 prohibits housing providers and others from interfering with, blocking, or retaliating against anyone who exercises rights granted under the Fair Chance Access to Rental Housing article. Protected activities include filing complaints, cooperating with investigators, and informing others of their rights under the article. Notably, the provision extends these protections even to people who raise concerns in good faith but turn out to be mistaken. If a housing provider takes an adverse action within 90 days of a person exercising a protected right, the administering agency is permitted to presume that the action was retaliatory unless the provider can demonstrate otherwise.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Detroit Ch. 22 Art. VIII § 22-8-10, compliant housing providers take care to ensure that no adverse rental action — such as withdrawing a unit from consideration, misrepresenting availability, or terminating a tenancy — follows a tenant or applicant's exercise of rights under the Fair Chance article. Because the provision establishes a rebuttable presumption of retaliation for adverse actions taken within 90 calendar days of protected activity, operators generally document legitimate, non-retaliatory business reasons for any rental decisions made during that window. Maintaining clear, contemporaneous records of decision-making processes helps demonstrate that actions were taken for lawful reasons unrelated to a person's protected conduct.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Detroit Ch. 22 Art. VIII § 22-8-10 protects tenants and applicants who file complaints, cooperate with investigations, or simply tell others about their rights under the Fair Chance Access to Rental Housing article — even if a complaint later turns out to be mistaken, as long as it was made in good faith. If a housing provider takes an adverse action against you within 90 calendar days of such protected activity, the administering agency is authorized to treat that timing as evidence of retaliation, placing the burden on the provider to show otherwise. Tenants who believe this provision has been violated may consider contacting the administering agency responsible for enforcing the article or reaching out to a local tenant-rights organization to understand available options.
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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