In short

The ordinance will push back the date when renters can see a property or sign a lease to 90 days into the current rent period.

It is designed to alleviate the fall housing rush.

At last night's meeting, landlords argued against the ordinance and students for it.

In the culmination of what has been an unprecedented level of collaboration between the Michigan Student Assembly and Ann Arbor City Council, last night the Council unanimously approved an ordinance pushing back lease-signing dates.

The ordinance, first proposed by Mayor John Hieftje in an interview with The Michigan Daily almost exactly a year ago, prohibits the signing of rental agreements until the current lease has been in effect for 90 days. It also prevents landlords from showing property to potential tenants for the same period.

For September-to-September leases, that means contracts for the following fall could not be signed until Dec. 1.

One version of the ordinance staggered the earliest date a property can be shown and when a lease can be signed, creating a one-month "shopping period." The Council unanimously voted to remove that provision last night after landlords pressured them to do so. Without staggering, students will have less time than they wanted an abundance of time to appraise the true quality of the property they are renting.

Students showed strong support for the ordinance throughout its development. Landlords generally opposed it.

"We're jumping out of our seats for this one," MSA President Jesse Levine said.

Levine was so eager to lend his support to the proposal that he rushed to the microphone at the first opportunity for public comment. The mayor informed Levine that the first public comment period at last night's meeting was on the rezoning of a lot on South Division Street, not the lease-signing ordinance.

Landlords were not nearly as enthusiastic about the proposal.

Landlord Mike Davalos sprinted from his South Forest Street home when he saw the proceedings underway on television. Although he arrived just after Hieftje closed the comment period, Davalos was allowed to speak.

Davalos placed the blame for the housing rush on the shoulders of students, not landlords. He argued that student government should educate students to help them make informed choices about housing, not push for legislation.

Landlord Lelahni Wessinger presented an inch-thick pile of listings printed from University Housing's website to underscore her point that there are still many housing units available for this fall.

"There are right now over 1,100 postings at the University of Michigan website," she said. "It's more about the rumor mill on campus than it is about facts on the ground."

But only 617 of those listings are available next fall - the rest begin earlier.

Student after student took the microphone to tell of the pressure to sign leases early.

"Students name the housing rush as a hardship each and every year," said Mohammad Dar, vice chair of MSA's External Relations Committee.

City Council member Leigh Greden (D-Ward 3) joined students in urging passage of the legislation.

"There are many times when the market fails," he said. "When that happens, it is the duty of the government to step in and correct that failure."

The University will likely now hold its fall housing fair in late November or early December next year, Levine said. In years past, the University has held the event in late October.

Levine said it necessary for the the ordinance to go hand-in-hand with education about the lease-signing process.

"(Student Legal Services housing attorney) Stephanie Chang and MSA will be working to make sure students are aware," he said.

-Jason Liu contributed to this report.