Common Mistakes on Michigan Eviction Notices Landlords Should Avoid
Most Michigan eviction cases do not fail because a landlord “forgot the law exists.” They stall because a notice was the wrong form, the wrong amount, the wrong service method, or filed a day too soon. A careful notice is not paperwork theater—it is the foundation of the case you may file later.
Here are common mistakes Michigan landlords make on eviction notices, with practical ways to avoid them. This is general information grounded in SCAO forms and published Michigan statutes and court rules—not a substitute for advice on your specific facts.
Landlords Are People Too.®
Mistake 1: Using the Wrong Notice for the Situation
Michigan’s two workhorse SCAO landlord notices are easy to mix up:
- DC 100a — Demand for Possession, Nonpayment of Rent (the classic 7-day pay-or-quit demand)
- DC 100c — Notice to Quit to Recover Possession of Property (often used to end a month-to-month tenancy)
If the problem is unpaid rent and you want the tenant to pay or leave, DC 100a is the usual tool, tied to MCL 600.5714(1)(a), MCL 600.5716, and MCL 600.5718.
If you are ending an at-will / month-to-month arrangement under MCL 554.134, DC 100c is typically the form landlords reach for.
Fix: Match the form to the legal basis. Do not treat every exit as a “7-day notice,” and do not use a nonpayment demand when you are really terminating a tenancy for another reason.
Mistake 2: Getting the Rent Figure Wrong on a DC 100a
MCL 600.5716 requires that when nonpayment of rent or other sums due under the lease is claimed, the demand state the amount due at the time of the demand. MCL 600.5714(1)(a) also notes that, for that subdivision, rent due does not include accelerated indebtedness because of a lease breach.
Common errors include:
- Padding the demand with speculative future rent or accelerated balances the statute does not treat as “rent due” for this purpose
- Leaving out unpaid rent that actually is due
- Using a round number that does not match your ledger
Fix: Pull the rent ledger before you generate the notice. State the amount due as of the demand date in a way you can support later.
Mistake 3: Incomplete Names, Addresses, or Property Descriptions
Both DC 100a and DC 100c ask for the tenant identity, a delivery/mailing address, and the rental premises (or “same as mailing address” when that is accurate). SCAO instructions emphasize completing those items before delivery.
Problems arise when landlords:
- Name only one adult when several adults are on the lease
- Mail to an outdated address
- Describe the premises vaguely (“the duplex on Main”) instead of a complete address or clear description
Fix: List every adult tenant you intend the notice to cover, use a current last-known address for mailing, and identify the premises clearly.
Mistake 4: Improper “Service”
For a demand for possession, MCL 600.5718 lists permitted methods: personal delivery; delivery on the premises to a suitable family/household member or employee with a request to deliver it; first-class mail; or electronic service with the required written consent process.
SCAO’s DC 100a instructions specifically warn that some informal approaches are not proper service—examples include slipping the demand under the door, attaching it to the property, or using mailing methods that require a signature.
Fix: Use a method the statute and SCAO instructions recognize. Complete the Certificate of Service the same day. Keep the court copy.
Mistake 5: Ignoring the Mailing Service-Date Rule
If a demand is mailed, MCL 600.5718(1)(c) provides that the date of service is the next regular day for delivery of mail after the mailing day. Counting seven days from the day you walked to the mailbox can put you one day short.
Fix: Build the next-mail-delivery day into your calendar before you file. (See our companion post on mailing and notice deadlines.)
Mistake 6: Filing in Court Before the Notice Period Ends
Summary proceedings are available when the tenant holds over after the time in the demand or notice. Filing while the notice clock is still running is a frequent self-inflicted wound.
Fix: Confirm service date, confirm the full notice period, then file. Attach the notice and proof of how/when it was served, as expected under MCR 4.201.
Mistake 7: Skipping the Certificate of Service and Your Records
Even a perfect form is hard to rely on later if you cannot show when and how the tenant received it. SCAO packets tell landlords to keep the court copy and complete the certificate of service after delivery.
Fix: Treat the certificate like part of the notice package—not optional homework.
Mistake 8: Assuming One Notice Solves Every Property Type and Lease Quirk
Mobile-home park situations, longer contractual notice periods, local housing ordinances, and special statutory short notices (for example, certain controlled-substance scenarios under other subsections) can change what is appropriate. SCAO forms themselves include specialized notes in some contexts.
Fix: Read your lease’s notice clauses and confirm you are using the notice that fits your actual ground for possession.
A Practical Way to Reduce Avoidable Errors
You still have to supply accurate names, addresses, and figures. But you do not have to reinvent formatting and mailing each time.
Piper Legal’s Notice Generator prepares a Michigan DC 100a or DC 100c, then prints and mails it to the tenant for a $50 flat fee. It is for Michigan properties only. Using it creates no attorney-client relationship; it is an administrative, self-directed convenience for Michigan property owners.
Call to Action
Before the next unpaid rent cycle or tenancy end date, use the Notice Generator to prepare and mail a Michigan notice the practical way—$50 flat, printed and mailed.
Landlords Are People Too.®
Disclaimer: This article is general information for Michigan property owners, not legal advice. Court outcomes depend on facts, leases, and local practice. Using the Notice Generator does not create an attorney-client relationship with Piper Legal (Jeremy R.M. Piper, PLC).