Michigan 30-Day Notice to Quit for Month-to-Month Tenancies (DC 100c)
Not every landlord-tenant exit is about unpaid rent. Sometimes the lease has ended, the tenancy has rolled month to month, and you simply need the unit back. In Michigan, ending many of those arrangements starts with a written Notice to Quit—most often using SCAO form DC 100c.
Landlords commonly call this a 30-Day Notice to Quit. The underlying statute for estates at will or by sufferance speaks in terms of one month’s notice (with related rules when rent is paid more often). Understanding that distinction—and using the right form—helps you start on solid footing.
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What Is SCAO Form DC 100c?
DC 100c is the SCAO-approved Notice to Quit to Recover Possession of Property for landlord-tenant matters. It is used when a landlord seeks to recover possession under MCL 554.134 (or another stated basis the form allows), and it tells the tenant they must move by a stated date or the landlord may take them to court.
Unlike DC 100a (the nonpayment Demand for Possession), DC 100c is not primarily a “pay or quit” tool. It is a notice that the landlord is ending the tenancy / seeking possession and that the tenant must vacate by the deadline on the form.
Month-to-Month Tenancies and MCL 554.134
MCL 554.134(1) provides, in substance, that an estate at will or by sufferance may be terminated by either party by giving one month’s notice to the other party. If rent is payable at periods of less than three months, the time of notice is sufficient if it is equal to the interval between the times of payment.
The same subsection also states that a notice is not void merely because it lists a termination day that does not line up with the start or end of a rental period. Instead, the notice terminates the tenancy at the end of a period equal in length to the interval between payment times.
In everyday landlord language—and on many SCAO-related materials—this is often described as a 30-day notice for a typical month-to-month tenancy. When you fill out DC 100c, SCAO’s instructions point you to MCL 554.134(1) or (3) (and an “other” option when appropriate) so the statutory basis on the form matches your situation.
Other timing rules under the same statute
MCL 554.134 also covers other scenarios (for example, certain year-to-year tenancies under subsection (3), and separate shorter notice rules for some nonpayment or controlled-substance situations). Those are different tools for different facts. If your goal is ending a standard month-to-month arrangement without relying on a nonpayment demand, DC 100c tied to MCL 554.134(1) is the form landlords most often mean when they say “30-day notice.”
What Information Goes on the Notice?
SCAO’s instructions for DC 100c walk through the basics landlords must complete before delivery, including:
- The tenant’s name and the address where the notice will be delivered (which may differ from the rental property address)
- The landlord’s name
- The statutory/basis checkbox (for month-to-month termination, typically MCL 554.134(1), per the instructions)
- The property address or description
- The move-out date
- The landlord’s (or agent’s) signature, address, and phone, with the date of the notice
Accuracy matters. Wrong names, an incomplete property description, or a move-out date that does not give the required notice period can create problems if you later need to file in district court.
Serving the Notice and Keeping Proof
MCL 554.134 itself does not spell out a detailed service checklist the way MCL 600.5718 does for demands for possession. The Michigan Judicial Institute’s landlord-tenant benchbook notes that the service methods shown on SCAO form DC 100c mirror several of the methods listed in MCL 600.5718(1) for demands for possession: personal delivery, delivery to a suitable person on the premises, and first-class mail.
Whatever method you use:
- Deliver the tenant’s copy
- Complete and keep the Certificate of Service (or equivalent proof) on your court copy
- Save a clean record of when and how the notice was served
If you later file a summary proceeding, Michigan Court Rule MCR 4.201 expects the complaint to attach copies of the notice to quit and show when and how it was served.
After the Notice Period Ends
If the tenant remains after the move-out date on a properly given notice, you may be able to file a case in the Michigan district court for the location of the property. That next step is a court process with its own summons, service, and hearing rules—it is not automatic just because a notice was mailed.
Many landlords use the notice period to prepare paperwork, gather the lease and payment history, and decide whether they will proceed on their own or with counsel. The notice itself remains a critical foundation for that filing.
How Piper Legal’s Notice Generator Can Help
Preparing DC 100c correctly and getting it into the mail promptly is busywork many owners would rather not handle alone. Piper Legal’s Notice Generator offers a Michigan-only, flat-fee option for a 30-Day Notice to Quit (SCAO form DC 100c) as well as the 7-Day Demand for Possession (DC 100a).
For $50 flat, Piper Legal prints and mails the notice to the tenant. The service 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
Need to end a Michigan month-to-month tenancy with a written Notice to Quit? Start with the Notice Generator—$50 flat, printed and mailed for Michigan properties.
Landlords Are People Too.®
Disclaimer: This post is general information for Michigan property owners, not legal advice. Statutes, leases, and local court practices can change outcomes. Using the Notice Generator does not create an attorney-client relationship with Piper Legal (Jeremy R.M. Piper, PLC).