I’m a Michigan landlord with a difficult tenant. I’ve given the tenant the proper Michigan termination notice, but he still won’t leave. What next? What is the Michigan eviction process?

If you have properly notified your tenant according to the available Michigan termination notices, but the tenant still will not leave or comply with the notice, you can file a Summary Proceedings eviction action against that tenant. You must wait for the 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days required by the kind of notice you gave before filing suit. To begin the suit, you’ll have to file paperwork with the proper district court, which will generally provide you with pre-approved court forms if you request them. If you do not use the pre-approved forms, or if at any time during the process you are unsure of how to handle certain procedures, you should seek the services of an experienced Michigan evictions attorney. All paperwork must be properly filled out and delivered to both the court and your tenant to successfully file suit. You (or the tenant) can request a jury for a fee. Otherwise, the judge will decide your suit. If you win, you can request an order of eviction after ten days (this leaves the tenant time to appeal), but if the tenant refuses to leave after that, you still can’t physically remove him or her. Only by order of the judge can the tenant be forced out, and even then, only by a sheriff.