Michigan rent demand

Michigan rent demands: a guide for Eureka Township landlords

A demand for possession gives the tenant an opportunity to pay overdue rent or vacate before a landlord seeks possession in court. The seven-day demand, its service certificate and a later eviction lawsuit are separate steps. This guide explains the limited Eureka Charter Township form and the records needed at each step.

1. Choose the correct ground and location

MCL 600.5714(1)(a) authorizes summary proceedings for possession when rent remains unpaid after the period in a properly served written demand. The court's DC100a is the nonpayment demand used here. It gives the tenant the alternatives of paying the rent or moving out. A lease violation, expired tenancy or other reason for possession requires its own analysis; it cannot be converted into a rent claim by changing the title.

This form supports a lawful, whole-unit ordinary residential rental in Eureka Charter Township, Montcalm County, outside Greenville city limits. A Greenville mailing address does not prove that a home lies inside the city. Confirm the actual municipal boundary, lawful use and required approvals before proceeding.

The supported case is new, undisputed rent that is overdue after any grace period, with no payments, credits, other sums owed or additional lease notice requirements. Assisted housing, uncertain government-backed financing, mobile-home parks, shared or transient accommodation, earlier notices and existing proceedings require separate review. The mobile-home language printed on the original court form does not expand this website's scope.

2. Establish the amount due before making a demand

MCL 600.5716 requires a written, dated and signed demand that identifies the person in possession and the premises, states the grounds, gives the time for remedial action and states the amount then due. A guessed balance or an unexplained total makes those requirements harder to verify.

Compare the rental agreement, ledger, receipts and bank records. Enter the actual due date and unpaid rent for each installment, without counting an installment twice. This form includes rent only, not late charges, utilities, deposits, attorney fees or anticipated litigation costs. MCL 600.5714(1)(a) specifically excludes accelerated indebtedness resulting from a lease breach from its definition of rent due.

The attached rent statement itemizes the same amount shown on both DC100a copies. A payment, offset or disputed credit must be resolved before using this simplified form; do not omit it to preserve an earlier total. Payment instructions should identify the recipient and a usable payment location or method without imposing a new fee or changing the agreement.

3. Give the full period required by the agreement and law

The court's DC100a instructions describe the usual seven-day demand but expressly recognize that a lease or applicable law can require more time. This form selects seven days only within its confirmed scope. A longer period or additional contractual step calls for another review, not a shorter entry.

The period runs from service, not from creating the file or adopting a signature. The court form states the period relative to service; this tool does not supply an exact expiry date or a court-filing date. Keep the real service date for each recipient and verify the applicable counting rules, holidays, lease provisions and protections before filing.

Full payment within the applicable period can prevent possession based on that nonpayment. Later payments, a repayment agreement or acceptance of rent for a later period can also affect the claim. The Michigan Judicial Institute benchbook, §§5.2(F) and 5.3, explains why payment and waiver questions depend on the circumstances. Do not assume that any payment always has the same effect or reuse an old demand without checking intervening events.

4. Deliver the demand by a legally appropriate method

MCL 600.5718(1) permits personal delivery; specified delivery on the premises to a suitable family member, household member or employee with a request to pass it on; first-class mail; and electronic service meeting particular consent requirements. These alternatives have different conditions. This website's supported workflow remains personal delivery of the printed tenant copy and rent statement to every named tenant at the rental.

For first-class mail, §5718(1)(c) defines service as the next regular mail-delivery day after mailing. Electronic service under §5718(1)(d) requires specific written consent and an electronic exchange with an affirmative reply; subsection (2) addresses the service address and prohibits refusing a lease because a prospective tenant declines that consent. Agreement to an electronic signature is a separate issue.

The demand-specific court instructions identify slipping it under a door, leaving it outside, attaching it to the property and mailing by a method requiring a signature as examples of improper service. Do not import posting rules for a later summons and complaint into this demand. A general description on another court page does not replace DC100a's instructions or §5718.

5. Sign the notice and record service at different times

Complete and sign both DC100a copies before delivery. Paper signing is available. The optional electronic-signature choice relies on Michigan's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act: MCL 450.833 defines its scope subject to other substantive law, 450.835 requires the parties' agreement, and 450.837(4) recognizes electronic satisfaction of a signature requirement. The website requires notice-specific agreement by the landlord and every named tenant, plus the landlord's intent to sign.

A checkbox cannot create the tenants' agreement or override an extra lease requirement. Without the necessary agreement, print and sign by hand. An electronically signed notice is still printed and personally delivered under this workflow. Sharing a file by email or text does not complete that service.

The court copy's certificate is different from the landlord's notice signature. Leave the service date, recipient, method and certificate signature blank until delivery actually occurs. Then the person who performed service records what happened. Keep the completed court copy and the same rent statement given to the tenant; do not pre-certify a planned delivery.

6. Review condition disputes and local occupancy requirements

Michigan's habitability covenants in MCL 554.139 and the rent determination under MCL 600.5741 can affect the amount recoverable when repairs or conditions are disputed. MCL 600.5720 also addresses specified grounds for denying possession, including retaliatory termination and a landlord's breach that excuses rent. The benchbook, §§5.3–5.4, discusses these defenses and their limits. Preserve complaints, inspection reports and repair records; a form confirmation does not waive a defense.

Eureka's regulatory ordinances, chapter 4, §§2–3, define and prohibit dangerous or dilapidated buildings, including specified unsafe and uninhabitable conditions. Its zoning ordinance §29.08 addresses certificates of occupancy and lawful use, with related permit provisions in chapter 29. These provisions concern the property's condition and authorization; they are not an additional seven-day demand rule.

The township's index identifies amendments separately from the dates on the linked compilations. Check current provisions with the township for the individual property. County construction rules also have jurisdictional exceptions. This guide does not certify a unit's compliance or establish that every Montcalm rental has identical obligations. Code disputes, retaliation concerns, accommodations, military protections, bankruptcy and court orders fall outside this simplified workflow.

7. Review both court-form copies and every attachment

The blank download contains the original court and tenant copies plus a blank rent statement. Enter matching names, rental address, landlord details, notice date and rent amount on both copies. Complete the appropriate period choice only after checking the law and agreement; the blank document does not validate your entries. Complete the rent statement so its total agrees with the demand.

The official tenant copy retains its explanation of rights and legal-help resources, including website addresses and the court's original “Telephone” label. Those are part of the court document, not internal website notes. Our printing and completion instructions stay here on the webpage. The custom rent statement supplements DC100a; it does not change its alternatives, period or tenant rights.

8. Use the court's current process if the matter remains unresolved

The 64B District Court's landlord-tenant division provides current local filing information and links to the appropriate forms. A demand is not a complaint, hearing notice or eviction order. Review the actual service, rent history and any new agreement before deciding whether to commence a case.

A later summary-proceedings complaint has its own allegations, attachments and service requirements under MCR 4.201. The local court identifies the demand, lease and appropriate summons and complaint among the filing materials and states that corporations and limited liability companies must be represented by counsel. A possession claim and a claim for a money judgment are not interchangeable.

Use the court's current instructions for filing and service rather than treating the seven-day period as an automatic hearing schedule. Keep a complete record of the agreement, rent ledger, notices, signatures, service and subsequent payments. A demand does not authorize changing locks, shutting off services or removing belongings to recover possession.

Reviewed October 27, 2026 against DC100a and its instructions, the identified Michigan statutes, the August 19, 2026 judicial benchbook, and the cited Eureka Township and Montcalm materials. The benchbook reflects its author's professional judgment; neither it nor this website is court approval of an individual notice.