Michigan 30-Day Notice to Terminate Tenancy (No Cause)

NOTICE TO TERMINATE TENANCY (MICHIGAN — NO CAUSE)

Before you use this: The required period may be one month, the rent-payment interval, or one year; one month is not always 30 days. Do not use this no-cause notice for a tenancy in a mobile home park. MCL 600.5775 requires just cause for termination. For a park tenant who owns the mobile home, Michigan Courts provides Form DC 100d for a just-cause demand.

Statutory Form Reference: SCAO Approved Form DC 100c

Statutory Authority: MCL 554.134; MCL 600.5714(1)(c); MCL 600.5716; MCL 600.5718

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. To the Person in Possession
2. Description of Premises
3. Identification of Tenancy
4. Termination of Tenancy
5. Demand for Possession
6. Notice of Tenant Rights
7. Date and Signature
8. Certificate of Service
9. Practice Notes
10. Sources and References

1. TO THE PERSON IN POSSESSION

TO: [TENANT'S FULL LEGAL NAME]

and all other adult occupants of the premises described below ("Tenant")

From: [LANDLORD'S FULL LEGAL NAME] ("Landlord"), by [LANDLORD'S ATTORNEY / AGENT NAME].

2. DESCRIPTION OF PREMISES

[STREET ADDRESS, UNIT/APARTMENT NUMBER]
[CITY], MICHIGAN [ZIP CODE]
[COUNTY] COUNTY

(the "Premises").

3. IDENTIFICATION OF TENANCY

Tenant currently occupies the Premises under (check one):

☐ A month-to-month tenancy / estate at will (oral or written) with rent of $[________] payable on the [___] day of each month.

☐ A week-to-week tenancy with rent of $[________] payable each [DAY OF WEEK].

☐ A written lease dated [__/__/____] with a fixed term ending [__/__/____], which has now expired and Tenant is holding over.

☐ A year-to-year tenancy with rent of $[________] payable annually on [DATE].

☐ Other periodic tenancy: [DESCRIBE].

4. TERMINATION OF TENANCY

Pursuant to MCL 554.134 and MCL 600.5714(1)(c), Landlord HEREBY TERMINATES the tenancy described above effective at the end of the notice period stated below.

Notice Period (check one):

☐ ONE (1) MONTH — month-to-month, estate at will, or estate by sufferance. MCL 554.134(1).

☐ [___] DAYS — periodic tenancy with rent payable at intervals of less than three months; notice period equals the interval. MCL 554.134(1).

☐ ONE (1) YEAR — year-to-year tenancy. MCL 554.134(3).

Effective Termination Date: [__/__/____] (the last day of the tenancy).

For a covered dwelling, determine whether 15 U.S.C. § 9058(c) applies to this no-cause termination. If it does, use a date that allows at least 30 days after notice and the longer applicable Michigan period selected above. Do not treat the federal period as a substitute for state notice.

5. DEMAND FOR POSSESSION

You must move out and deliver possession of the Premises to Landlord on or before [__/__/____].

If you fail to vacate by that date, Landlord will file a summary-proceedings complaint in the District Court for the [___] Judicial District seeking possession, costs, and any other relief allowed by law.

Rent During the Notice Period. Rent for the period through the Effective Termination Date remains due and is payable in the ordinary course at:

[LANDLORD / AGENT NAME]
[PAYMENT ADDRESS]

6. NOTICE OF TENANT RIGHTS

IMPORTANT — READ CAREFULLY:

6.1. Right to Counsel. You have the right to consult an attorney. Free or low-cost legal help:

• Michigan Legal Help: https://michiganlegalhelp.org
• Lakeshore Legal Aid: 1-888-783-8190
• Legal Aid of Western Michigan: 1-800-442-2777
• Detroit residents — Right to Counsel (effective Oct. 1, 2022, for tenants at or below 200% of the federal poverty level): Detroit Office of Eviction Defense, 313-244-0274.

6.2. Right to Defend. If a complaint is filed, you may appear and answer. Defenses to a no-cause termination include:

• Defective notice (e.g., insufficient notice period, improper service under MCL 600.5718, missing required content under MCL 600.5716);
• Retaliation under MCL 600.5720 — a termination primarily intended to penalize protected conduct may be a defense. A presumption for the tenant may arise only if the tenant took qualifying formal action through a court or government agency within 90 days before the landlord initiated summary proceedings and the action was not dismissed or denied;
• Discrimination under MCL 37.2502 based on religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, familial status, or marital status. Michigan's Persons With Disabilities Civil Rights Act also protects against housing discrimination based on disability. Section 37.2502(3) restricts source-of-income discrimination by landlords with at least five Michigan rental units, counting related entities; other federal or local housing protections may apply;
• Failure to provide reasonable accommodation to a tenant with a disability under FHA § 3604(f)(3);
• Subsidized housing protections — federally assisted tenancies (Section 8, project-based, public housing, LIHTC) generally require good cause for termination and longer notice periods;
• Waiver by Landlord's acceptance of rent or other conduct inconsistent with termination after notice.

6.3. No Self-Help. Landlord may NOT lock you out, remove your property, shut off utilities, or otherwise force you out without a court order. For unlawful interference with possession, MCL 600.2918(2) provides actual damages or $200, whichever is greater, for each occurrence, and recovery of possession if lost. Subsection (1) separately addresses forcible and unlawful ejectment.

6.4. Rental Assistance. If financial hardship is contributing, you may qualify for assistance through your local Community Action Agency, MDHHS State Emergency Relief, or city programs. Apply promptly.

7. DATE AND SIGNATURE

Date of Notice: [__/__/____]

Signature of Landlord, Attorney, or Agent:

X _______________________________________

Printed Name: [________________________________]

Title (check one):
☐ Landlord
☐ Attorney for Landlord (Michigan Bar No. [________])
☐ Authorized Agent for Landlord

Address: [STREET ADDRESS]
[CITY, STATE, ZIP]
Telephone: [(___) ___-____]
Email: [________________________________]

8. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I certify under MCL 600.5718 that on [__/__/____] I served this Notice on the Tenant by the method(s) checked below:

☐ Personal delivery to the Tenant at the Premises.
☐ Substituted delivery on the Premises to [NAME, RELATIONSHIP], of suitable age and discretion, with a request that it be delivered to the Tenant.
☐ First-class mail addressed to the Tenant at the Premises (date of service is the next regular day for delivery of mail after mailing).
☐ Electronic service to [EMAIL/PORTAL ADDRESS], the Tenant having previously given written consent affirmatively confirmed (consent attached as Exhibit A).

Signature of Server: X _______________________________________

Printed Name: [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____]

9. PRACTICE NOTES

9.1. Computing the Notice Period

Under MCR 1.108, the day of service is excluded; the last day is included unless it falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. Service by first-class mail postpones the start: the date of service is the next regular mail-delivery day after mailing.

9.2. Termination Date Need Not Match Rent Period

MCL 554.134(1) expressly provides that the Notice is not void because it states a termination day that does not correspond to the conclusion or commencement of a rental period. The tenancy terminates at the end of a period equal in length to the rental interval, beginning the next regular rent day. To minimize disputes, where possible state a termination date that aligns with the natural rent cycle.

9.3. Retaliation Window — 90 Days

Under MCL 600.5720(2), the relevant 90-day period is measured from the tenant's formal action through a court or government agency to the landlord's initiation of summary proceedings, rather than service of this Notice. The tenant's action must have sought to enforce rights or complain against the landlord and must not have been dismissed or denied. If those conditions are met, the landlord must show by a preponderance of the evidence that termination was not retaliatory. Document the actual reason for termination before serving.

9.4. Federal Subsidized Housing — Check Program Grounds

A no-cause notice may not satisfy the applicable federal program rule:

• HUD project-based Section 8 housing: check 24 C.F.R. Part 247's termination grounds.
• Public housing: check 24 C.F.R. § 966.4(l).
• Housing Choice Voucher tenancies: 24 C.F.R. § 982.310 requires a stated termination ground during the lease term. During the initial term, an owner's "other good cause" must arise from something the family did or failed to do. After the initial term, "other good cause" may include refusal of a new lease, owner use, or a business or economic reason. The owner must give written notice specifying the grounds under § 982.310(e); a bare no-cause label is insufficient.
• LIHTC properties: check the extended-use agreement and 26 U.S.C. § 42(h)(6) before relying on a no-cause notice.

Confirm the subsidy, lease term, governing agreement, required grounds, and notice before using this form.

9.5. CARES Act Covered Dwellings

15 U.S.C. § 9058(c)(1) sets a 30-day notice-to-vacate floor where it applies to a covered dwelling. Its application to no-cause terminations is disputed; the Washington Supreme Court limited it to nonpayment evictions in Housing Authority of the County of King v. Knight, No. 102905-5 (Feb. 20, 2025). Confirm coverage and the governing interpretation before serving this notice. If it applies, allow both that federal period and the longer Michigan period.

9.6. Local Ordinances

Some Michigan localities impose additional restrictions:

• Ann Arbor: Ordinance Chapter 105 limits when a landlord may show or re-rent a unit and imposes early-termination disclosure rules.
• Detroit: Check rental registration and Certificate of Compliance under Detroit City Code Chapter 8, including § 8-15-81.
• East Lansing, Ypsilanti, Hamtramck, Highland Park: rental registration and inspection regimes.

Confirm local compliance before serving.

9.7. Documenting Non-Retaliatory Motive

If termination follows a tenant complaint, repair request, or government inspection, document the actual reason for termination contemporaneously (board minutes, written sale agreement, notice of family member's intent to occupy, etc.). Check separately whether the formal-action conditions in MCL 600.5720(2) create a presumption when summary proceedings begin.

10. SOURCES AND REFERENCES

• 24 C.F.R. § 982.310 (official published CFR) — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title24-vol4/pdf/CFR-2025-title24-vol4-sec982-310.pdf
• City of Detroit rental requirements and current code reference — https://detroitmi.gov/departments/buildings-safety-engineering-and-environmental-department-bseed/bseed-divisions/property-maintenance/tenant-rental-property/landlord-rental
• Michigan Legislature, MCL 554.134 — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-554-134
• Michigan Legislature, MCL 600.5714 — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-600-5714
• Michigan Legislature, MCL 600.5716 — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-600-5716
• Michigan Legislature, MCL 600.5718 — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-600-5718
• Michigan Legislature, MCL 600.5720 (retaliation) — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-600-5720
• Michigan Legislature, MCL 600.2918 (anti-lockout) — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-600-2918
• Michigan Legislature, MCL 37.2502 (Elliott-Larsen — housing) — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-37-2502
• SCAO Form DC 100c — https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/forms/scao-approved/dc100c.pdf
• SCAO Landlord-Tenant Forms — https://www.courts.michigan.gov/SCAO-forms/LTLC-forms/
• 15 U.S.C. § 9058 (CARES Act notice) — https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/t15/s9058/
• 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq. (Fair Housing Act) — https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/chapter-45
• Detroit Office of Eviction Defense — https://detroitmi.gov/departments/law-department/office-eviction-defense-right-counsel