Maintenance Request Guide for Michigan Owners

Step one: figure out who's actually responsible

The single most common source of frustration we hear from Michigan owners is submitting a maintenance request for something the association isn't responsible for repairing. In a single-family HOA, the association typically maintains common areas — private roads, entrance features, retention ponds, shared landscaping — while everything inside your lot line, including your roof, siding, and driveway, is your responsibility as the owner. In a Michigan condominium association, responsibility is split differently: the master deed and bylaws, structured consistent with the Michigan Condominium Act, typically distinguish between "general common elements" (the building exterior, roof, structural elements, and shared systems) that the association maintains, and the interior of your unit, which is yours. Before submitting any request, check your governing documents — specifically the maintenance responsibility section of your bylaws or master deed — because the split isn't identical from one Michigan association to the next.

How to submit a request the right way

Put it in writing

A phone call to a neighbor on the board isn't a maintenance request — it's a conversation that goes nowhere. Submit requests through your association's official channel (a management company portal, a designated email address, or a written form), and keep a copy. A written request creates a record with a timestamp, which matters if a repair is delayed and you need to show when the issue was first reported.

Be specific and include photos

"The roof is leaking" is harder to triage than "water stain appeared on the ceiling above the northeast bedroom after last week's storm, photo attached." Specificity gets a vendor to the right spot faster and reduces back-and-forth.

Flag safety and weather urgency clearly

In Michigan, an ice dam causing active interior water intrusion, a downed tree limb blocking a shared drive after a windstorm, or a failed exterior door lock are urgency-level issues, not routine work-order items. Say so explicitly in the request so it's triaged appropriately rather than queued behind routine landscaping tickets.

What to expect for response times

Most Michigan associations set (or should set) internal response-time targets that vary by severity: an emergency safety issue same-day or next-day, urgent-but-non-emergency issues within a few business days, and routine items on a standard work-order cycle. Weather is a real factor here — a Michigan winter storm can delay exterior work for days even after a request is triaged correctly, and a reasonable board or manager should communicate that delay rather than let an owner assume the request was ignored.

If a request is denied or delayed

If you believe the association denied a request it should have covered, ask in writing for the specific bylaws or master deed provision the decision relies on. A well-run association (or its management company) should be able to point to the exact maintenance responsibility clause rather than give a vague answer. If the dispute persists, raising it at an open board meeting, in the public comment period, creates a documented record for both sides.

Putting it into practice