How to get rid of (evict) a non-paying tenant in Michigan

Eviction notice

When your tenant stops paying rent it can be a very difficult and frustrating experience. Luckily, with a few simple steps and the help of your local court system you can successfully evict them, regain possession of your rental unit and re-rent it!

Instructions

1. If a tenant is late with the rent you start by filling out form DC100a (Demand for Possession, Non-Payment of Rent Landlord-Tenant). This form is available at your local court house or online. You can type DC100a into Google and find a link to download it. The form must be properly served to the tenant or the judge will not grant you an eviction. The easiest way to do this is to mail it to them via USPS. You MUST get a certificate of mailing with this method. It is a small white piece of paper that is stamped by the post office and proves to the court that you sent the form. The DC100a gives the tenant seven days to pay up or leave.

2. If seven days have passed and the tenant still has not paid you must go to the courthouse and file DC102a (the Complaint) and DC104 (the Summons). Fill these forms out prior to going to the courthouse and be sure to make at least 5 copies of each (plus one more for each additional tenant). The court may charge you for additional copies at a rate of $1.00 per page!

3. When you file you will need to choose a method to serve the tenants. The court usually has a list of approved and trusted process servers that will do it for you. This will cost more, but it insures that it is done properly. Again, everything must be served properly or your case will be dismissed.

   At this time the court will assign a time and date for your case. It will often be 2 or 3 weeks in the future, depending on the caseload.

4. Await your day in court. The hard part is over and soon you will regain possession of your rental unit.

Tips & Warnings

• These steps are specifically for the State of Michigan, they may differ in other states.