In communities across Michigan, property owners who offer short-term rentals are showing up—tired, frustrated, and determined to be heard. While the vacation rental industry is evolving, the regulatory conversation around it often isn’t. In fact, it’s frequently driven by fear, misinformation, and, in some unfortunate cases, personal bias.
As we continue to confront unreasonable regulations in township after township – bans in residential zones without any data to justify restricting constitutionally protected rights, biases based on personal opinions rather than goal-based regulations, and regulations copied from neighboring communities instead of taking the time to truly understand, it feels like the constitutional rights of property owners are protected only for certain owners vs. all.
At MiSTRA, we believe in reasonable regulation. But fairness? That’s non-negotiable.
When Policy Becomes Personal
We’ve been present at township meetings where the debate feels less like governance and more like a showdown. In one such meeting, a woman stood up—voice shaking with anger—and shouted that short-term rentals were allowing “pedophiles to rent homes on her lake, looking at her granddaughters.” No data. No specific incident. Just fear—and unfortunately, the kind of fear that fuels hasty, sweeping policy.
We’ve heard countless stories, been present at meetings where the rhetoric is “Well, we have one good STR owner in the community and that’s fine – but we don’t want those investors.” It’s a refrain meant to seem balanced. But scratch the surface, and it reveals the real issue: bias against property owners who don’t fit the mold of “local enough,” “involved enough,” or “quiet enough.”
Property owners who pay taxes, maintain or improve their property, and support the local economy.
Regulation that’s built on who is owning and operating—rather than how—is inherently unjust.
A System That Needs Guardrails
In many municipalities, local boards pass ordinances that directly affect real property value and use—while board members themselves own property nearby. This isn’t theoretical. In township after township, the question of conflicts of interest arise as local officials fail to disclose or recuse themselves from votes that benefit their own homes, their own neighborhoods, or their own worldview.
Bias doesn’t need a smoking gun to be present. It shows up in subtle ways—like delaying approvals for certain applicants or holding STR owners to higher nuisance standards than full-time residents. It shows up when one neighbor’s noise complaint is a cause for ordinance revision, but another’s is quietly dismissed.
These are not the hallmarks of fair governance.
Regulate the Behavior, Not the Ownership
Let’s be clear: short-term rentals should be subject to community standards. We support rules around noise, occupancy, parking, trash. We support transparency and tax collection. We support local enforcement tools. We acknowledge long-term housing is in short-supply.
But we draw the line at bans—or near-bans masquerading as regulation. This is a direct violation of the constitutionally protected rights if its not justified against specific data and goals.
Lack of long-term housing? Remove every short-term rental in the state of Michigan and we are still tens of thousands of housing units short. The number of STR in Michigan is an inconsequential number of the total housing units needed – many of which, even if not short-term rented, would not become a housing unit. So using this excuse without actually studying what a reasonable number of units to allow as STR and just banning them is irresponsible when viewed through the constitutional rights of property owners.
Using a single-family home as… a single-family home is not a land use violation. Guests are families. Friends. Traveling nurses. Business travelers. Just because they don’t stay 365 days doesn’t make them less entitled to the comfort of a home, or less worthy of being your neighbor.
And in a world where remote work is here to stay, communities need to adapt. The post-pandemic shift has changed how we live and travel. Short-term rentals are part of that change.
What’s Really Driving the Debate?
Let’s be honest about what’s underneath some of this tension:
- Scarcity of housing in some areas
- Cultural discomfort with change
- A desire to maintain exclusivity
- Outdated notions of what “residential” means
- And often, a failure to distinguish between well-run STRs and actual nuisance properties
Rather than address the underlying problems, some municipalities use STRs as scapegoats. Meanwhile, they ignore the data: that STRs in Michigan make up a small percentage of the total housing stock in most jurisdictions, and that many of the homes used for vacation rentals wouldn’t otherwise be available to year-round residents due to seasonal design, location, or ownership structure.
Fair Property Rights Deserve Fair Policy
Property owners have the right to reasonably use their homes, including for short-term rental. And they deserve regulations that are:
- Content neutral
- Data-informed
- Consistently enforced
- Based on behavior, not ownership class
- Aligned with due process
When rules are crafted in a reactionary fashion—or when they privilege one group of property owners over another—they do more harm than good. They erode trust. They suppress local economies. They open municipalities up to legal risk. And worst of all, they divide communities. This isn’t a call for short-term rentals to be allowed without
This Is Why We Fight
MiSTRA isn’t here to just push for blanket preemption or unlimited growth. We’re here because fair regulation doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when citizens show up, speak up, and organize.
Our members include lifelong Michiganders, military veterans, retirees, teachers, single parents, and small business owners. We are not a monolith of out-of-state investors. We are your neighbors—often the ones who mow the grass next door and keep that forgotten cottage from falling into disrepair.
We believe in thoughtful governance. But we also believe it’s time to name what’s actually happening in many communities: poorly informed, reactionary policy based on anecdotes instead of evidence.
If you’re a property owner being told your rights don’t matter—or if you’re navigating a township board that seems more interested in exclusion than fairness—know this: you’re not alone.
👉 Support MiSTRA’s Initiative —Become a member today! Every membership helps advance our cause and provide needed resources to stand united against unfair, unconstitutional regulations in the state of Michigan.