Required Disclosures in Michigan Commercial Leasing

Unlike residential leasing in Michigan—which demands highly specific "Truth in Renting Act" clauses, 14-day security deposit bank location notifications, and mandatory inventory checklists—the commercial real estate sector is defined by its stark absence of disclosure laws.

In Michigan commercial leasing, the governing legal principle is almost exclusively "Caveat Emptor" (Let the Buyer/Lessee Beware).

Disclaimer: This guide provides general legal information for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Commercial real estate in Michigan requires intense due diligence. Always consult a licensed commercial real estate attorney for advice specific to your situation. Information last verified: March 2026.

No Mandatory Statutory Disclosures

There are no state statutes in Michigan forcing a commercial landlord to provide a "Commercial Disclosure Statement" or summarize the estimated financial outgoings before a business signs a 5-year lease for a warehouse or retail storefront.

A commercial tenant is entirely responsible for executing their own exhaustive due diligence before signing the contract.

The Tenant's Burden of Due Diligence

Because the landlord is not legally obligated to proactively disclose the property's flaws, the sophisticated tenant (and their corporate counsel) must insert specific contingencies into the Letter of Intent (LOI) or the drafted lease allowing them to investigate:

1. Zoning and Permitting

A landlord does not have to verify that a tenant's specific business operation (e.g., a commercial bakery or an auto repair shop) is legally permitted under local municipal zoning codes. If a tenant signs a 10-year lease and discovers 30 days later that Detroit zoning prohibits them from operating their intended business in that specific building, the tenant is still legally obligated to pay the entire 10-year lease.

2. Environmental Hazards

Commercial tenants—particularly those leasing industrial manufacturing space or former gas stations—must conduct Phase I Environmental Site Assessments. If a new tenant takes possession and later triggers a massive EPA cleanup involving soil contaminated by a previous tenant, the current tenant can become liable for the remediation costs if they failed to perform due diligence.

3. As-Is/Where-Is Clauses

Most standard commercial leases in Michigan contain an "As-Is" clause. This means the landlord is delivering the space precisely in its current condition, with all faults. If the HVAC system dies on the second day of the lease, the landlord is not required to fix it unless the lease explicitly guarantees the system's functionality.

The Limits of Caveat Emptor (Fraud)

While a commercial landlord does not have to proactively point out flaws, they are still constrained by federal and state laws regarding outright fraud and active concealment.

A landlord cannot:

1. Actively Lie: If the tenant directly asks, "Does the roof leak?" and the landlord answers "No," knowing full well the roof has failed, the landlord has committed actionable fraud.
2. Actively Conceal: A landlord cannot physically paint over severe structural water damage or erect a fake wall to hide black mold in an effort to deceive the tenant's building inspector.

Managing Sophisticated Letter of Intents workflows

Because every disclosure and guarantee must be manually negotiated into the contract, the "Letter of Intent" (LOI) phase in Michigan commercial real estate is highly complex. Landager provides institutional landlords with centralized deal-flow tracking, ensuring that every time a leasing agent negotiates an environmental indemnity clause or a custom HVAC warranty into an LOI, those specific contingencies are automatically flagged for legal review before the final binding lease is generated, ensuring consistency across your statewide portfolio.

Back to Michigan Commercial Landlord-Tenant Laws Overview.