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Guide

Tenant and Landlord Plumbing Repairs: Who Handles What

Pick what is broken to see the general Michigan rule, the tenant's first steps and the official source, then build a written repair request from your own details. General information, not legal advice.

Pick What's Broken

Reviewed October 24, 2026 · Free to use · Bookmark it for next time

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  • MCL 554.139Michigan's landlord repair and fitness covenants
  • 110°Fminimum hot water at fixtures under the Grand Rapids housing code (IPMC 505.4)
  • 68°Fminimum heat when a Grand Rapids landlord supplies heat
  • 90 daysretaliation presumption window after a tenant's official complaint (MCL 600.5720)

What's Broken?

Pick the problem and your town. The answer shows the general rule with its official source, what the tenant does first, how to ask for the repair and any deadline the official sources actually set. Your picks stay in this browser.

The problem
Adds the local code office and legal aid number.

Write Your Repair Request

Fill in the fields and the letter writes itself below, using only what you type. Copy it into an email or print it, sign it, date it and keep a copy. Fields stay saved in this browser until you clear them.

Couple smiling together on a sofa in a warmly lit living room

Why in writing? A dated letter shows what was reported and when. Michigan Legal Help offers its own free do-it-yourself repair letter; this builder works the same way and keeps everything in your browser.

MCL 554.634 requires the lease to list where notices go.
Fill in the fields above to build your letter.

Blank fields show as [brackets] in the letter. Nothing leaves this browser.

Who Handles What Under Michigan Law

Michigan's repair rules start with MCL 554.139, which writes three landlord promises into every residential lease and license. The Legislature's own guide calls them the covenants of habitability and fitness.

Hand held under running water from a chrome bathroom faucet Water spraying from a leaking brass fitting on a copper pipe Water spreading across a concrete basement floor around a round drain grate
RuleWho it bindsOfficial source
The premises and all common areas are fit for the use the parties intended.LandlordMCL 554.139(1)(a)
The premises stay in reasonable repair during the lease, and the landlord complies with state and local health and safety laws.LandlordMCL 554.139(1)(b)
Those duties do not cover disrepair or violations caused by the tenant's willful or irresponsible conduct or lack of conduct.Tenant-caused damageMCL 554.139(1)(b)
A lease with a current term of at least one year can modify the repair obligations.Both, by agreementMCL 554.139(2)
A lease clause that waives or alters a remedy for a breach of the habitability covenants is prohibited.LandlordMCL 554.633(1)(a)
The tenant keeps the home in decent condition and pays to repair damage the tenant causes.TenantMichigan Legal Help
The landlord does not cause an interruption or shut-off of essential services such as water, electricity or gas.LandlordMichigan Legal Help; Legislature guide, Question 29
The landlord enters without notice only for an emergency, such as an urgent leak, and otherwise gives reasonable notice.LandlordMichigan Legal Help

“Reasonable repair” has no statutory definition. The Legislature's guide explains that what counts in a given case is a question of fact decided by a judge or jury, and that a breach of these duties is a breach of the lease.

Grand Rapids Rental Code: Hot Water, Heat and Inspections

The City of Grand Rapids certifies rentals against its Property Maintenance Code, which adopts the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments, effective January 1, 2024.

Tank water heater standing in the corner of an unfinished basement
  • 110°Fminimum water temperature at required fixtures (IPMC 2021 §505.4)
  • 68°Fminimum heat in habitable rooms when the owner supplies heat (§602.3)
  • 2, 4 or 6 yrslength of a Grand Rapids Certificate of Compliance
  • 14 daysrepair deadline on a verbal order for minor violations
  • 60–120 daysrepair deadline on a Notice of Violation for major violations
  • 616-456-3053Code Compliance, for complaints and inspections
Landlords

Certify, Register, Inspect

  • Register every rental dwelling with the city each year.
  • Hold a Certificate of Compliance before anyone moves in.
  • Pass a mechanical safety inspection of fuel-burning equipment for the certificate.
  • Give tenants at least 48 hours' notice before a city inspection.
Tenants

Report Disrepair

  • Report inside-house conditions, such as leaking sinks or heat below 68°F, to Code Compliance at 616-456-3053 or online.
  • Keep the unit clean; the city holds tenants responsible for the cleanliness of their housing.
  • Outside Grand Rapids, ask the local city or county code enforcement office which standards apply.

Rent, Escrow and Retaliation: What the Official Sources Say

Rent questions carry the highest risk on this page, so this section repeats only what the official publications say and gives no advice.

Before changing how rent gets paid, get legal help. The Michigan Legislature's guide lists a breach of contract lawsuit, making repairs and deducting the cost from rent, and withholding rent as options whose availability depends on the tenant's specific circumstances (Question 26). Michigan Legal Help describes a separate escrow account with written notice to the landlord, and warns that putting rent into escrow can lead a landlord to start an eviction case.

Tree-lined residential street of older two-story houses on a sunny day

Retaliation Protection

MCL 600.5720 bars a court from granting possession when the tenant shows the landlord ended the tenancy primarily as a penalty for one of these acts:

  • Trying to secure or enforce rights under the lease or the law.
  • Complaining to a government authority about a health or safety code violation.
  • Joining a tenant organization or another lawful act tied to the tenancy.

Official action within 90 days before the eviction case starts creates a presumption in the tenant's favor; the Legislature's guide lists retaliation and a breach of MCL 554.139 among common eviction defenses.

Where to Get Help

Free legal information and legal aid serve the Grand Rapids area. Each link below goes to the official source.

Couple sitting close together on a porch swing in evening sunlight
Free legal aid

Legal Aid of Western Michigan

Kent County: 616-774-0672. Ottawa County: 616-394-1380. Grand Rapids office: 25 Division Ave S, Ste 300. lawestmi.org

Self-help

Michigan Legal Help

Official guide

Michigan Legislature

A Practical Guide for Tenants & Landlords (Rev. 3/2026) covers leases, repairs, deposits and evictions, with State Court Administrative Office forms. The full text of MCL 554.139 sits on the same site.

For the plumbing itself, landlords and property managers find repair scope on the residential plumbing page.

Common Questions

Does A Michigan Landlord Have To Fix Plumbing?

Yes, in general. MCL 554.139 makes every residential landlord promise that the premises and common areas are fit for their intended use, to keep them in reasonable repair during the lease and to comply with state and local health and safety laws. The duty does not cover disrepair caused by the tenant's willful or irresponsible conduct, and a lease of at least one year can modify it.

How Long Does A Landlord Have To Make A Repair In Michigan?

State law sets no fixed number of days. Michigan Legal Help says the landlord makes needed repairs in a reasonable time after learning of them, and the Legislature's guide says what counts as reasonable repair is a question of fact for a judge or jury. Inside Grand Rapids, a Code Compliance inspection sets its own deadlines: 14 days for minor violations on a verbal order, 60 or 120 days on a Notice of Violation.

Does A Tenant Ask For Repairs In Writing?

Michigan Legal Help tells tenants to let the landlord know as soon as possible, ask for the repair within a certain amount of time, and keep records of requests and responses. It offers a free do-it-yourself repair letter, and the letter builder on this page does the same with your own details.

Can A Tenant Withhold Rent For A Plumbing Problem?

This page gives no advice on that question. The Legislature's guide lists repair-and-deduct and withholding rent among options whose availability depends on the specific circumstances, and Michigan Legal Help warns that putting rent into an escrow account can lead a landlord to start an eviction case. Talk with Legal Aid of Western Michigan or a lawyer before changing how rent gets paid.

Can A Landlord Evict A Tenant For Reporting A Code Violation?

MCL 600.5720 bars a judgment for possession when the tenant shows the termination was intended primarily as a penalty for reporting a health or safety code violation to a government authority, among other protected acts. Official action taken within 90 days before the eviction case starts creates a presumption in the tenant's favor.

Related Services and Guides

Sources and How This Tool Works

Each rule quotes or paraphrases the official source named beside it: the Michigan Compiled Laws on the Michigan Legislature website, the Legislature's A Practical Guide for Tenants & Landlords (Rev. 3/2026), Michigan Legal Help's tenant rights article, and the City of Grand Rapids Property Maintenance Code and Code Compliance pages. The letter builder fills a fixed template with only what you type; it adds no facts about your situation.

General information for Grand Rapids-area properties, reviewed October 24, 2026. Rules, rates and programs change; the linked source's current version controls. This page is general information about Michigan landlord-tenant law, not legal advice, and it creates no attorney-client relationship. Leases, local codes and facts change the answer. For your situation, read the official source linked beside each rule and contact Michigan Legal Help, Legal Aid of Western Michigan or a lawyer. Grand Rapids Michigan Plumber is a plumbing company, not a law firm.

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