Landlord Representation
Residential landlord and tenant law in Michigan is procedural. Landlords lose these cases far more often on process than on the merits.
A tenant who has not paid in three months is not a difficult case on the facts. It becomes a difficult case when the notice was served the wrong way, described the wrong amount, gave the wrong number of days, or was signed by a property manager who was not authorized to sign it. Courts dismiss on those grounds, and the landlord starts over having lost another month of rent.
The firm represents property owners, from single rental homes to portfolios, in possession proceedings, damage and unpaid rent claims, deposit disputes and lease drafting. Ahmed Zamzam's background in property management is directly relevant here, because most of what goes wrong in these files goes wrong before a lawyer is involved.
Recovering the property
Michigan resolves possession through summary proceedings, a fast track designed to move quickly. Speed is conditional on doing each step correctly.
- A written demand or notice appropriate to the ground for termination, whether nonpayment, lease violation, or termination of tenancy
- Service in a manner the statute permits, and proof of how and when it was served
- The correct waiting period before filing, which differs by ground
- A complaint filed in the district court for the district where the property sits
- A hearing, at which most tenants either do not appear or seek a payment arrangement
- Judgment for possession, followed by the statutory period before an order of eviction may issue
- Execution by the court officer, which is the only lawful way to remove a tenant
Changing locks, removing doors, putting belongings on the curb, or shutting off heat, water or electricity to force a tenant out exposes a landlord to statutory damages that can exceed the unpaid rent by a wide margin. Possession comes through the court or it does not come lawfully at all.
Security deposit compliance
Michigan's security deposit rules are strict, deadline driven, and unforgiving of landlords who treat them casually. There are limits on the amount that may be held, requirements about how and where it is held, an obligation to provide the tenant with specific notice, and a short window after the tenancy ends in which an itemized list of damages must be delivered.
Miss the deadline and the landlord can lose the right to keep any of it, including for damage that genuinely occurred. Landlords routinely forfeit legitimate claims this way. Move in and move out documentation, dated and photographic, is what makes a deposit claim survive.
How these matters run
- Lease and ledger reviewedThe lease, every notice already sent, the payment ledger, and the condition record. Whether prior notices were valid determines where the file starts.
- Ground and notice selectedThe correct notice for the correct ground, with the correct period, served in a way that can be proven later.
- Filing and hearingComplaint filed in the proper district court, and appearance at hearing. Many resolve at this stage by consent judgment or payment plan.
- Judgment, eviction and money claimsPossession first, then unpaid rent and damages, which are often pursued separately once the property is back in service.
Questions from property owners
My tenant has not paid in two months. How long will this take?
Where notice is served correctly and the tenant does not contest, possession is typically a matter of several weeks rather than months. Defective notice is the main thing that extends it, because it usually means starting again. Contested cases and payment arrangements run longer.
Can I keep the security deposit for damage?
Only if you follow the statute, which includes delivering an itemized list of damages within the required window after the tenancy ends. Landlords with genuine damage claims lose them on this deadline regularly. Dated move in and move out photographs are what make the claim provable.
The tenant left and owes rent plus damages. Is it worth pursuing?
That is a collectability question more than a liability one. A judgment against someone with no income and no assets is an expensive piece of paper. It is usually worth a candid assessment of what can actually be recovered before spending money to obtain the judgment.
Do I need an attorney for a simple nonpayment case?
For a single straightforward matter, some owners handle it themselves. It becomes worth having counsel where the tenant has appeared with a lawyer, where there is a counterclaim about habitability, where the property is held by an entity, or where you have multiple units and want the process handled correctly and consistently every time.
These cases are lost on procedure, not on merits.
[PHONE]Matters with a closing date, a filing deadline or a hearing already on the calendar are handled by phone.