Saginaw's Rental and Vacant House Registry: What Ordinance O-275 Means When You Sell

Saginaw rental registration is run by the City Clerk under Ordinance O-275, and it shapes every sale of a rental house in Saginaw, Michigan. The City Council enacted O-275 on November 17, 2025, and it took effect November 27, 2025. It rewrote four sections of Chapter 151: the rental registry, the unoccupied house registry, the rules against occupancy without registration, and the fee and late-charge rules.

This guide turns O-275 into a calendar and a checklist. It covers who registers when a rental sells, the buyer's 60-day clock, and how tenants or an empty house change the math.

What is Saginaw rental registration under Ordinance O-275?

Saginaw rental registration is the City's requirement that every house occupied by someone other than its owner be registered with the City Clerk before anyone moves in. Section 151.112(A) of Ordinance O-275 puts it plainly: "No owner or controller of non-owner occupied property shall allow it to be occupied by someone other than the owner without first registering the property with the Office of the City Clerk."

O-275 runs two separate lists. The non-owner occupied registry covers rentals. The unoccupied registry covers empty houses. A house can move from one list to the other when a tenant leaves or a new one moves in.

What registration asks of you

To register a rental, section 151.113(A) asks the owner or controller to:

• File an application for each house, naming a local agent if the owner lives out of state.
• Pay the registration fees, any late fees, and any fines owed.
• Give every tenant a lease disclosure letter on City rules such as noise and parking.
• Include the ordinance's Crime Free Lease Addendum in every lease.

Once registered, you must report changes, including a change in occupancy status, to the City Clerk in writing within 30 days (151.113(C)(1)).

Why the date of the ordinance matters

The City lists O-275 on its Code of Ordinances page among new ordinances that "have yet to be published on American Legal." The online codified code can lag behind. Read O-275 itself for these four sections.

Saginaw Ordinance O-275 deadlines and fees in one table

Saginaw Ordinance O-275 sets five clocks that matter to a seller: registration, inspection, renewal, the late charge, and the new owner's 60 days. The table puts each next to its section.

What the fees are

The City sets the dollar amounts, not the ordinance: section 151.117(A) says fees "shall be established by City Council." The City Fees and Rates Schedule (amended September 2026) lists these City Clerk fees:

• Non-Owner Occupied Dwelling, 1-2 units: $150.00.
• Per-unit fee for 3 units and above: $10.00.
• Unoccupied Property: $150.00.
• Late penalty on either registry: 100% of the initial fee.

The schedule marks these as annual fees "not inclusive of inspection fees." Council can change them, so confirm with the Building and Code Enforcement office at City Hall, Room 208 (989-759-1540), or the City Clerk.

Under 151.117(E), unpaid fees are a personal debt of the owner. The City can also assess them "as a lien against the property, including interest thereon, until paid." An old unpaid fee can follow the house into a sale.

How the City inspection fits in

A newly registered Saginaw rental must be inspected by the City within 30 days of the application, and it can be rented once the unit complies. Section 151.113(C)(2) sets the 30 days and requires proof of inspection at each renewal. Section 151.112(B) bars occupancy until the house complies with the subchapter.

The City's Building and Code Enforcement page lays out the sequence. File a Non-Owner Occupied Residence Form for each location with the City Clerk at 1315 S. Washington Avenue. Pay the initial registration when you return the application. Then "Schedule an inspection appointment by visiting Room 208 at City Hall or calling 989-759-1540. When the unit complies, it may be rented."

What inspectors look at

Inspectors' "primary responsibility is to inspect all the registered rental property in the City of Saginaw," the City says. They also follow up complaints such as no heat, missing smoke alarms, and unregistered rentals.

Saginaw's housing is old, which makes the inspection the hard part. The City's 2022 Master Plan reports that 93% of the City's housing units are over 50 years old. Original wiring, aging plumbing, and old furnaces can each hold up a passing result.

Who registers when a Saginaw rental sells?

The buyer registers a Saginaw rental after closing, within 60 days of the title transfer into the buyer's name. Section 151.113(D) sets the deadline at "60 days of transfer of title to the property to the name of the new owner." Section 151.114(B) says the same for an unoccupied house.

The seller's side

Your registration does not carry over to the buyer as a paid-up asset, but its condition affects your price. A buyer who sees a current registration, a recent passed inspection, and no unpaid fees has less risk to price in. A buyer who sees a lapsed registration or an unpaid late charge will discount for it.

Before closing, handle three items:

• Pay any registration fees, late charges, or fines owed on the house.
• Report the sale to the City Clerk in writing within 30 days (151.113(C)(1) and 151.114(E)).
• Hand the buyer the leases, the lease disclosure letters, and the signed Crime Free Lease Addenda.

The buyer's 60-day clock

The 60 days start when title moves into the buyer's name. If the buyer misses it, the late charge of 100% of the base fee applies (151.117(D)(3)). If tenants are in place, the buyer also faces the 30-day inspection clock on the new application.

One exception helps a buyer who will live in the house. Under 151.113(E)(1), an owner of a single-unit house may live there without registering or paying a fee. The owner's immediate family may live there too.

Saginaw vacant property registration and the occupancy rule

Saginaw vacant property registration puts an empty house on the City's unoccupied registry, renewed every December 30. Under section 151.114(F), no one may occupy it again until City debts are paid and a certificate of occupancy issues. That rule is the one that moves a sale price.

What the unoccupied registration asks for

Section 151.114(C) asks for the expected period of vacancy, a maintenance plan, and a timeline for re-occupancy, rehabilitation, or demolition.

Two exemptions that matter at a sale

First, a registered rental that you are "actively advertising and holding the property out for rental and/or sale" does not also need unoccupied registration (151.113(E)(2)). You give the City Clerk a copy of the advertisement or listing as evidence. That covers a rental that sits empty between tenants while you sell it.

Second, a new owner is exempt from unoccupied registration for the first 12 months after purchase while "actively working to rehabilitate the property for use and occupancy" (151.114(G)(2)). The evidence is permits for structural, electrical, mechanical, or similar work. A rehab buyer can factor that year into an offer.

Empty houses carry their own costs, from the year-end fee to winter heat. See our page on selling a vacant house.

Selling with tenants: Michigan's lease and deposit rules

A Saginaw rental can be sold with tenants in place, and Michigan's Landlord-Tenant Act moves the deposit to the buyer when you do. The tenant stays under the lease, and the buyer steps in as landlord.

Fixed-term leases

A sale does not cut a fixed-term lease short. To get the house empty sooner, you need the tenant's written agreement or a legal ground for possession.

Month-to-month tenancies

Either side can end a month-to-month tenancy with 1 month's notice under MCL 554.134. When rent is paid at intervals of less than 3 months, notice equal to the interval between payments is enough. The tenancy then ends at the end of a period equal to that interval.

Security deposits

Michigan caps a security deposit at 1 1/2 months' rent (MCL 554.602). When you sell, you stay liable for the deposit until one of these happens (MCL 554.614):

• You transfer the deposit to the buyer and mail the tenant written notice with the buyer's name and address.
• The buyer complies with the Act's deposit-holding rule in section 4 (MCL 554.604).
• You return the deposit to the tenant.

If the tenant moves out before the sale, a different clock runs. You must mail an itemized notice of damages within 30 days after occupancy ends (MCL 554.609). A 2026 amendment (2026 PA 102, effective September 21, 2026) lets you send the balance electronically within 10 days after mailing that notice.

Problem tenants

Michigan's process for removing a tenant runs through summary proceedings in district court. For unpaid rent, the landlord serves a written demand for possession, and the tenant has 7 days to pay or leave (MCL 600.5714). After that, the case goes to district court, and the timeline is the court's.

O-275 adds a City angle: section 151.112(E) bars an owner from knowingly letting a resident stay after "repeated quality of life violations."

Three ways to sell rental property in Saginaw, MI

To sell rental property in Saginaw, MI, a landlord can sell vacant, sell with tenants in place, or sign a move-out agreement first. Each path carries different O-275 duties and costs.

Path 1: Sell vacant after the lease ends

Waiting out the lease opens the house to buyers who will live in it. The cost is lost rent, turnover, repairs, and showings.

Path 2: Sell with tenants in place

Selling occupied keeps rent coming in until closing. The buyer pool is smaller, since the buyer must want a rental and its O-275 duties.

Path 3: A voluntary move-out agreement

The tenant agrees in writing to leave by a set date, often for a payment from you. Pay only after the keys come back, and handle the deposit under MCL 554.609.

For a wider look at the landlord exit, including problem tenants and deferred repairs, see our page for tired landlords ready to sell.

The 2026 numbers a Saginaw landlord should know

Saginaw's median sale price was $86,764 over the three months ending September 2026, up 8.5% from a year earlier (Redfin, September 2026). Sales took a median of 29 days on the market, compared with 24 days a year earlier. Redfin counted 123 sales in September 2026, down from 135.

Redfin also reports a sale-to-list ratio of 94.2% for the same period (Redfin, September 2026).

Zillow measures something different. The Zillow Home Value Index for the City of Saginaw was about $133,927 in September 2026, up about 5.1% year over year (Zillow ZHVI, September 2026). ZHVI estimates the typical value of all houses, while Redfin's median reflects what sold.

Rentals are a large share of the City. The 2022 Master Plan estimates that renter-occupied units rose from 37.7% in 2010 to 43.8% in 2019 (City of Saginaw 2022 Master Plan, citing 2019 ACS data). That is the pool O-275 covers.

Selling a registered or unregistered rental for cash

A direct cash buyer can take a Saginaw rental as-is, with tenants in place and registry issues open, and handle registration and inspection after closing. Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer: we buy the house ourselves and make one transparent, data-backed offer. We buy with tenants in place. No eviction needed before you sell.

Here is how that can work on a Saginaw rental:

• You send us the leases, the rent roll, the deposit amounts, and your registration status.
• We make you a cash offer based on local market data, and we show you how we got to our number.
• Open items such as an unpaid registration fee or a pending inspection can be priced into the offer instead of landing on a repair list for you.
• You pick the closing date. Cash sales can close in as few as 7 days.

Sellers pay no commissions and no fees to Propcash. If a listing with an agent would net you more, for example a vacant, freshly inspected house that shows well, we will tell you. Learn more about how we buy in the city on our Saginaw cash buyer page, or get a cash offer on your Saginaw rental when you are ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to register a Saginaw rental before a tenant moves in?

Saginaw requires a rental to be registered with the City Clerk before anyone other than the owner occupies it, under section 151.112(A) of Ordinance O-275. A City inspection follows within 30 days of a new application, and the unit may be rented once it complies.

Who registers a Saginaw rental after it sells, the seller or the buyer?

The buyer registers a Saginaw rental after it sells, within 60 days of the title transfer, under sections 151.113(D) and 151.114(B) of Ordinance O-275. Missing that window adds a late charge of 100% of the base fee. The seller pays any fees owed and reports the change to the City Clerk within 30 days.

When are Saginaw rental registration renewals due?

Saginaw rental registration renewals are due on the fourth Friday of February each year, and unoccupied house renewals are due on December 30. The next rental renewal date is February 26, 2027.

How much does Saginaw rental registration cost?

Saginaw rental registration costs $150 a year for a dwelling with 1-2 units, according to the City's Fees and Rates Schedule. The schedule adds a $10 per-unit fee for 3 units and above and lists $150 for an unoccupied house. The late penalty is 100% of the initial fee, and inspection fees are separate.

Can I sell my Saginaw rental with tenants living in it?

You can sell a Saginaw rental with tenants living in it, and the security deposit moves to the buyer under MCL 554.614. The buyer then registers the rental within 60 days of the title transfer under O-275.

Can someone move into a vacant Saginaw house right after it sells?

No one can move into a vacant Saginaw house on the unoccupied registry until City taxes, costs, assessments, and liens are paid and a certificate of occupancy issues (O-275, section 151.114(F)). A buyer who rehabs it under permits can skip unoccupied registration for the first 12 months.

Do I have to evict a problem tenant before I sell a Saginaw rental?

You do not have to evict a problem tenant before you sell a Saginaw rental, since a buyer can take the house with the tenant in place. Propcash buys with tenants in place, and no eviction is needed before you sell.

Sources: City of Saginaw (Ordinance O-275, Fees and Rates Schedule, Building and Code Enforcement, 2022 Master Plan), Michigan Compiled Laws, Redfin, and Zillow Research. Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer, not a law firm.