Southfield — Ch. 105 Registration and Inspection of Multiple Family Residential Dwellings § 8.703
Registration of multiple family residential dwellings
Operative Text
It shall be unlawful for any person or entity to operate a multiple family residential dwelling in the city without first registering the ownership of such property with the department as required by this chapter. (1) Registration shall be on forms provided by the city and shall consist of the following information: (a) The name of the owner and, if the owner is a corporation, whether foreign or domestic, the registered agent of the owner and the residential or business address of the owner and registered agent, which address information shall include the street name and number, office or suite number if a business address, the city, state, and zip code, and the telephone number of the owner; (b) The nature and extent of the owner's interest in the property. If there is only one (1) owner, the extent of the owner's interest is one hundred (100) percent; (c) The name and business or residence address, including street name and number, city, state, and zip code, of the current manager or management company of the multiple family residential dwelling and, if the manager is other than an individual, the name, title, business address, including street name and number, city, state, and zip code, of the individual to be contacted for any purpose under this chapter relating to the multiple family residential dwelling; (d) The name and business or residential address (including city, state and zip code) and phone number of any contractor or entity responsible for equipment and/or maintenance for designated areas within the premises, such as laundry facilities; and (e) The number and means of identification of all dwelling units within the multiple family residential dwelling. (2) The use of a public or private post office box or other similar address shall not be sufficient for the purposes of complying with this chapter. (3) Any change of ownership of a multiple family residential dwelling, including, but not limited to, the sale of the property or any ownership interest therein, shall require the purchaser or transferee to update the information required under subsection (1) of this section, and to file such updated information with the department within thirty (30) days of the effective date of such ownership change. This same requirement shall apply to any change relating to the owner's registered agent and/or manager or management company. (4) The owner of a multiple family residential dwelling existing on the date of enactment of the ordinance from which this section derives shall comply with the provisions of this chapter not later than the thirtieth day following the enactment hereof. The owner of a newly constructed multiple family residential dwelling shall comply with the provisions of this chapter not later than the thirtieth day following issuance of a certificate of occupancy or temporary certificate of occupancy, whichever occurs first. (5) The fee for registration shall be in such amount as the city council shall establish from time to time by resolution. (6) Registration in compliance with the provisions of this chapter shall be good for the period of one (1) year. (7) It is a violation of this chapter for an owner to provide inaccurate information on the rental application or fail to provide information on the rental application required by the city.
Southfield's Ch. 105 § 8.703 makes it unlawful to operate a multi-family residential dwelling in the city without first registering the property with the relevant city department. Registration requires detailed contact and ownership information — including physical street addresses (no P.O. boxes) for owners, managers, and maintenance contractors — and must be renewed annually. When ownership changes, the new owner has 30 days to update and file the required information, and providing inaccurate details on the registration form is itself a violation of the chapter.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Southfield Ch. 105 § 8.703, compliant operators of multi-family residential dwellings register their property with the city department before beginning operations, using city-provided forms that include full street addresses for the owner, any registered agent, the manager or management company, and relevant maintenance contractors. Owners of newly constructed buildings generally complete registration within 30 days of receiving a certificate of occupancy, while owners who acquire an existing property update the registration within 30 days of the ownership transfer. Because registration is valid for one year and the city council sets the fee by resolution, operators typically track renewal deadlines and monitor any council resolutions affecting the registration fee to maintain continuous compliance.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Southfield Ch. 105 § 8.703 requires that the owner of any multi-family residential dwelling where you live maintain a current, accurate registration on file with the city — including up-to-date contact information for the owner, manager, and maintenance contractors. If a building is being operated without a valid registration, or if the registration contains inaccurate information, that constitutes a violation of this chapter, which tenants may be able to raise when interacting with city enforcement or housing authorities. Tenants who believe their building is out of compliance with § 8.703 may consider contacting the city department responsible for registration, or reaching out to a local tenant-rights organization to understand what options are generally available.
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.
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