Michigan Landlords Can Now Do THIS If You’re Late On Rent

Landlords in Michigan are either kind and understanding or cruel human trash that live to force young adults to live in overly charged homes/apartments and make their lives a living hell. I would know because the most recent apartment complex I rented from was full of an inept front office staff that not only was unorganized but actually broke the law according to the Fair Housing Act, (42 USC 3604(f)(3)(B), 24 CFR 100.204). Luckily for them, I was too busy to press charges and wanted to move on from them in my life.

However, landlords have rights of their own, especially when it comes to non-payment of rent. Normally if you do not pay your rent, they may actually serve you with an eviction notice in the form of a “Notice to Quit” or “Demand for Possession.” However, this comes with certain steps to be followed according to the Michigan Legislature:

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Before a court will enter a landlord’s request for an Order of Eviction, the tenant must have been given a proper eviction notice (usually a “Notice to Quit” or “Demand for Possession”). Many times the rental problem can be fixed with nothing more than the eviction notice. For example, if the tenant simply forgot to pay the rent, the notice may serve as a reminder—Eviction Proceedings once he or she pays the rent, the eviction process ends.

It's important to remember this notice can serve as a warning, and if paid, the proceedings should end. Also, it's illegal for a landlord to physically remove you from a property you're technically still renting.

The Landlord Has Responsibilities Too

If you're in a situation where you have something in your rental that needs fixing and you've let the landlord know with adequate time left in the month, and it hasn't been fixed before rent is due, you can legally withhold funds. To do this legally, they suggest following the right steps :

STEP 1: Notify the landlord and provide reasonable time for repair.
STEP 2: Contact the building inspector and schedule an inspection.
STEP 3: If the landlord has failed to make necessary repairs, either withhold the rent and deposit it into an escrow account OR pay for the repair and deduct the cost from the rent.

If all these steps have been taken and the landlord still has filed for your eviction because of non-payment of rent, and you can provide proof, you can actually counter-sue the landlord or win the eviction case.

There are so many ins and outs, and you can read all your rights here.