The City of Ann Arbor's Rental Housing Services Department inspects all residential rental units in accordance with the Housing Code: Chapter 105. Chapter 105 outlines all of the rules that must be followed for residential rental units. Rental Housing Services accepts, responds to, and investigates complaints. Visit Rental Housing Service's Tenant Resources page for more information.
Filing Complaints
Filing a complaint with Rental Housing Services
- Contact the landlord and give them enough time to fix the problem.
- If the landlord does not fix the problem in a reasonable amount of time, the tenant can file a complaint with Rental Housing Services. To file a complaint, the tenant should contact Janet Farrell at [email protected] or 734.794.6000, x42680. Be sure to have the following information available when making a complaint: Tenant's name, tenant's phone number and address, specific issue(s) believed to be a code violation, and the date the tenant contacted the landlord.
- Rental Housing Services staff will notify the landlord of the complaint. Then the landlord will have a deadline to fix the problem. A typical deadline for a life-safety issue is 24 hours. A typical deadline for a non-emergency issue is 72 hours. The landlord must tell Rental Housing Services after they've fixed the problem.
- Rental Housing Services will contact the tenant to check if the landlord fixed the problem.
- If the landlord did not fix the problem, a City of Ann Arbor Rental Housing Services inspector will contact the tenant to schedule an inspection.
- If the problem is still not fixed after the inspection, the property will be posted as not habitable until the landlord fixes the problem.
- If you believe there is a leasing ordinance violation complete the Early Leasing Ordinance and Right to Renew Complaint form and send via email to Janet Farrell. Renters submitting the complaint form should complete the form to the best of their ability. Incomplete forms will be accepted.
Renters may send complaints to the Renters Commission a to share the information, but the Renters Commission does not review or respond to individual complaints. Complaints sent to
[email protected] will be forwarded to
[email protected].
Filing a Human Rights Commission Complaint
Complaints for human rights violations are best filed as soon as the complainant feels emotionally and/or physically able to do so safely. While the HRC will accept and review all complaints whenever filed, memories fade and evidence is sometimes lost, which can compromise the capacity to substantiate a claim. Also, the ability of the HRC to resolve, enforce and/or refer the complainant to other agencies or forums may be limited by the passage of time. For example, prosecution of a violation of a city ordinance is not possible if the complaint is filed more than two years after the incident occurred.
Please be aware that although the HRC is required to give the City Attorney copies of the complaints it receives, the City Attorney will be involved only where necessary and your privacy will be maintained wherever possible. Although all documents are subject to the Freedom of Information Act, confidential information will be redacted appropriately.
If you believe your rights under Ann Arbor's Non-Discrimination Ordinance have been violated, please complete and submit your complaint using our online form.
