Mich. Comp. Laws § § 37.2503
Nonapplicability of MCL 37.2502; “immediate family” defined; information relative to marital status.
Operative Text
Sec. 503. (1) Section 502 does not apply to any of the following: (a) The rental of a housing accommodation in a building that 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 family dwelling by a person if the lessor or a member of the lessor's immediate family resides in the dwelling. (b) The rental of a housing accommodation for not more than 12 months by the owner or lessor if it was occupied by him or her and maintained as his or her home for at least 3 months immediately preceding occupancy by the tenant and is maintained as the owner's or lessor's legal residence. (c) With respect to the age provision and the familial status provision only, the sale, rental, or lease of housing accommodations meeting the requirements of federal, state, or local housing programs for senior citizens, or accommodations otherwise intended, advertised, designed or operated, bona fide, for the purpose of providing housing accommodations for persons 50 years of age or older. (2) As used in subsection (1), "immediate family" means a spouse, parent, child, or sibling. (3) Information relative to the marital status of an individual may be obtained when necessary for the preparation of a deed or other instrument of conveyance.
MCL § 37.2101 et seq. § 37.2503 carves out specific situations where Michigan's general housing anti-discrimination rules under Section 502 do not apply. These exemptions cover small owner-occupied buildings of two units or fewer, short-term rentals of a recently owner-occupied home, and—limited to age and familial-status protections only—qualifying senior housing communities. The provision also clarifies that 'immediate family' means a spouse, parent, child, or sibling, and that marital status information may be collected when needed to prepare a deed or similar legal document.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under MCL § 37.2503, property owners operating a small two-family building where they or an immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, or sibling) lives in one unit may fall outside the reach of Section 502's anti-discrimination requirements. Similarly, an owner who rents out a home they personally occupied as their legal residence for at least three months immediately before the tenancy—and for no more than 12 months—may qualify for another exemption. Operators of senior housing communities that meet federal, state, or local program requirements should note that this exemption under § 37.2503(1)(c) applies only to the age and familial-status provisions, not to other protected classes.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
MCL § 37.2503 defines the narrow circumstances in which a landlord may be exempt from Michigan's housing anti-discrimination protections under Section 502, such as small owner-occupied two-family buildings or short-term rentals of a recently owner-occupied home. Tenants who believe a landlord is improperly claiming one of these exemptions—for example, by asserting owner-occupancy that does not actually exist—may have grounds to challenge that claim. Tenants can explore their options by contacting a local tenant-rights organization, a legal aid office, or the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, which administers the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act under which § 37.2503 falls.
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