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How to serve a demand for possession in Michigan: four methods, a mail rule that fixes the service date and a seven-day count

DoorKeeping team

3 min read

Michigan's statute is unusually clear. MCL 600.5718 allows service of a demand for possession or payment by personal delivery to the person in possession, delivery on the premises to a household member or employee of suitable age and discretion, first class mail, or electronic service if the tenant has consented in writing. For mail, the date of service is "the next regular day for delivery of mail after the day when it was mailed."

What must the demand say?

MCL 600.5716: the demand must be in writing, addressed to the person in possession, give the address or a brief description of the premises, clearly state the reasons for the demand and the time to take remedial action, state the amount due at the time when nonpayment of rent is claimed, and be dated and signed by the person entitled to possession, an attorney or an agent.

The four ways to serve

  1. Personal delivery to the person in possession.
  2. Personal delivery on the premises to a family or household member or an employee of the person in possession, of suitable age and discretion, with a request that it be delivered to the person in possession.
  3. First class mail addressed to the person in possession. The date of service is the next regular day for delivery of mail after the day it was mailed.
  4. Electronic service, if the person in possession has in writing specifically consented, and the consent or its confirmation was sent by one party and affirmatively replied to electronically by the other.

The statute protects the tenant's choice: a landlord "shall not refuse to enter a lease because the prospective tenant declines to consent to electronic service." The electronic address stays valid until the process is repeated with another address or the party tells the other in writing that it is no longer in use.

How is the seven-day nonpayment count done?

MCL 600.5714(1)(a) applies when a person holds over "after failing or refusing to pay rent due under the lease or agreement ... within 7 days from the service of a written demand for possession for nonpayment of the rent due." The same seven days apply to some serious-damage demands (600.5714(1)(d)) and to a notice to quit after violence on the landlord's property (1)(e).

Example a made-up Grand Rapids owner mails a demand for possession first class on Monday, May 3. The service date is the next regular day for delivery of mail, Tuesday, May 4. Seven days from service is Tuesday, May 11. If the owner instead hands it to the tenant on May 3, the seven days end Monday, May 10.

What about ending a month-to-month tenancy?

MCL 554.134 allows either party to end an estate at will with one month's notice, or, if rent is payable at periods of less than three months, with notice equal to the interval between payments. The notice does not fail because it names a date that does not match the start or end of a rental period. The section as read does not set a service method, so use the methods above.

Keep a dated copy of the notice, proof of how it was sent or handed over, and a note of who received it. Those three items are what you show a court.

How DoorKeeping helps in Michigan

DoorKeeping keeps each lease's notices, dates and ledger together, so you can ask Claude or ChatGPT what notice a tenant has been given and when the clock ends. Any notice waits for your one-tap approval before it goes out. DoorKeeping never holds your money and sends a payment only when you approve it. This is general information, not legal advice: check the current statute and your own lease.

Sources

  1. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5718, Demand for possession or payment, service (Michigan Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026
  2. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5716, Demand for possession or payment, form and contents (Michigan Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026
  3. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5714, Summary proceedings to recover possession of premises (Michigan Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026
  4. Michigan Compiled Laws 554.134, Termination of estate at will (Michigan Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

Can a Michigan landlord mail a demand for possession?
Yes, by first class mail. The date of service is the next regular day for delivery of mail after it was mailed (MCL 600.5718(1)(c)).
Can a Michigan notice go to someone other than the tenant?
A family or household member or employee of suitable age and discretion on the premises, with a request to deliver it to the person in possession (600.5718(1)(b)).
How long is Michigan's nonpayment demand?
Seven days from service of the written demand for possession (MCL 600.5714(1)(a)).

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