By FINN MILLS
Capital News Service
LANSING – Michigan tenants could soon have the right to directly pay their water bills, even if their landlords fail to do so, under โa bill introduced in the state House. โThe legislationโฃ aims to prevent โคwater shutoffs due toโ landlord negligence,a problemโข impacting renters across โฃthe state.
Sponsored โขby Rep. Jimmieโข Wilson Jr.,โ D-Detroit, theโข billโข would requireโฃ property owners toโ transfer waterโค bills to tenants’ names upon request.”Reliable and safe access to water inโข Michigan homes is essential,” Wilson said.
Instances of โtenants losing water โaccess despite being current on rent payments have been reported in โDetroit and other โMichigan cities. Wilson โcitedโข a โrecent case in Detroit where residents of a duplex were without running water for several weeks โin 2024 โbecause โฃthe property owner hadn’t paid the water bill since 2020.
The issue disproportionately affects low-income communities.โฃ Detroit’s poverty rate in 2024 was โข34.5%,up from 31.9% the โprevious โฃyear, according โto the U.S. Census bureau.
Whileโ some property owners and utility managers claim their โขsystems are unable to facilitate bill transfers, co-sponsor Rep.Natalie Price, D-Berkley, pointed to otherโฃ Midwest states like Indiana where such transfers โฃare already legally permitted.
The bill has garnered supportโ from 16 Democratic lawmakers,including Kara Hope of Holt,Carrie Rheingans of Ann Arbor,Penelope โคTsernoglou of East โLansing,and Dylanโข Wegeliaโ of Garden City. It is โขpart of a broader legislative effort known as the Affordable Waterโฃ Now Package.
The bill has been referred to the Committee on โขRegulatoryโ reform for further consideration.