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Housing Resources
Spotlight on Fair Housing Center of West Michigan
The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan works with tenants, landlords, real estate agents, banks, and other housing professionals to advance fair housing throughout West Michigan.
Fact Sheets available in English and Spanish.
- What to Do Before Move In
- Heating Your Rental Unit
- Protect Your Security Deposit
- Can My Landlord Raise My Rent?
- Withholding Rent for Repairs
- Retencion del alquiler por reparaciones
Que hacer antes de mundarse
Puede mi dueno de viviendas aumentar mi alquiler
Proteja su Deposito de Suguridad
La calefaccion de su unidad de alquiler
Assistance Animals: Service Animals and Support Animals
Service dogs perform many disability-related functions, including guiding individuals who are blind or have low vision, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to sounds, and alerting persons to impeding seizures or the presence of allergens. Support animals may help by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors, assisting in dealing with disability-related stress or pain, or providing emotional support that alleviates at least one identified symptom or effect of a physical or mental impairment. Learn more with this RESOURCE GUIDE: ASSISTANCE ANIMALS IN HOUSING provided by the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan. Also available in Spanish.
Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing
In Michigan, the Smoke-Free Indoor Air Law (Public Act 188 of 2009, as amended) is generally interpreted to prohibit smoking in indoor common areas of apartment and condominium buildings. Living units of apartment and condominium buildings are not covered by the law. However, owners of apartment and condominium buildings are free to adopt smoke-free policies for their buildings which make the entire building smoke free, including all living units. Click here to learn more.
HUD's Smoke-Free Public Housing Rule
Federal law prohibits the use of cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and water pipe tobacco (hookah) in public housing (except mixed-finance project units). This includes living units, indoor common areas (e.g., laundry rooms, community facilities, public housing offices), and outdoor areas within 25 feet of public housing and administrative office buildings. More information about the public housing requirement can be found on the Public Health Law Center’s resource HUD’s Smoke-Free Public Housing Rule: An Overview. Click here to learn more, including how and where to submit a complaint.
Struggling with Rent Payments? These Community Resources Can Help.
Download this listing of community organizations that can offer assistance with rent and housing expenses. Available in English and Spanish.
Landlord Tenant Guide 2024 Edition
This guide (PDF), also available in Spanish, was prepared by the Michigan State University College of Law Housing Justice Clinic and has everything you need to know about being a good tenant or a landlord. Printed copies are available at City Hall in the Human Relations or Community Neighborhood Services offices at:
207 S River Avenue
Holland, MI 49423
Home Repair Resources & Assistance
For qualifying homeowners needing housing repairs, this list includes state, city, and local funding sources and local organizations that can help get the job done.
Housing Assistance
211 Michigan maintains the latest information on area agencies that may be able to help with a specific housing needs, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent housing, and homelessness prevention. Simply dial 2-1-1 or 844-875-9211 on your phone or visit to their website www.mi211.org.
Fair Housing & Criminal Background Checks
Unfair criminal background screening can be housing discrimination. Screening based on criminal records should only consider convictions that indicate real and current risk to people or property. Screening criteria should be applied equally. People have the right to explain circumstances of their conviction and what they’ve done since. Learn more with this fact sheet (English) prepared by the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan. Also available in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Kinyarwanda.
Fair Housing for Persons with Disabilities
Fair housing laws not only prohibit housing discrimination based on disability, but also afford people with disabilities the right to seek reasonable accommodations and modifications to make their housing and communities easier to use and access. Further, fair housing laws require specific accessibility features in all newly constructed multi-family housing to ensure equal housing opportunity for persons with disabilities. The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan has a variety of resources in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese on this topic.
- Housing for Individuals with Disabilities is a resource list of housing options in Holland and the surrounding communities.
Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home
Ensuring a safe and healthy living environment starts with awareness and prevention. This resource on Lead Education provides essential resources on lead safety, offering vital information to protect your family from lead exposure. It is available in 5 languages, English, Kinyardwanda, Pashto, Spanish, and Swahili. Whether you’re a tenant, homeowner, or community leader, you’ll find helpful guides to support lead safety practices. Thanks to the Kent County Health Department for providing these documents.
RENTERS: Federal law requires that before signing a lease for housing built before 1978, renters must receive the following from your landlord:
- An EPA-approved information pamphlet on identifying and controlling lead-based paint hazards: Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home. Also available in Spanish.
- Any known information concerning the presence of lead-based paint hazards in the home or building.
- For multi-unit buildings, this requirement includes records and reports concerning common areas and other unit when such information was obtained as a result of a building-wide evaluation.
- An attachment to the contract, or language inserted in the contract, that includes a "Lead Warning Statement" and confirms that the landlord has complied with all notification requirements.
If you have concerns, ask your landlord to get a Lead Hazard Inspection from a certified inspector before signing your lease.
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
This program from the MDHHS has information and resources to prevent childhood lead poisoning across the state through surveillance, outreach, and health services. Information available in English, Spanish, and Arabic. Visit their website to learn more.