New Michigan Law Assists Property Owners, Renters

A new law signed by Gov. Rick Snyder protects property owners and renters.

House Bill 5892, sponsored by state Rep. Wayne Schmidt, R-District 104, amends the Rental-Purchase Agreement Act to assist both lessors and lessees of property. Lessees who are temporarily unable to make payments and surrender the property in a timely fashion now will have 90 days, rather than one month or less, to make the payments required to reinstate a rental-purchase agreement without losing any rights or options.

Lessors now will be able to require that property be returned seven days after a lessee misses a payment, instead of having to wait nearly a month. The law also clarifies what types of fees may be charged in these situations. The bill is Public Act 584 of 2012.

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley also signed legislation to stiffen penalties against the crime of arson and revise sentencing guidelines, creating an improved structure for dealing with arson crimes.

In 2011, there were 10,552 arson and suspicious fires in Michigan, accounting for one out of every three fires in Michigan. The loss of life and property caused from arson crimes require aggressive action.

“Arson cases are too often treated as nonviolent offenses, with sentencing that is not hard enough for such a serious offense,” said Calley.  “This legislation restructures the way we deal with these crimes and provides for more appropriate penalties.”

House Bills 5692 - 5695, sponsored by state Reps. John Walsh, Kevin Cotter, Joseph Graves, and Stacey Erwin Oakes, revise provisions relating to the crime of arson by increasing penalties and sentencing guidelines.

Editor's note: This press release was submitted by Gov. Rick Snyder's Office.