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Michigan Landlord - Tenant Questions & Answers
1 Answer | Asked in Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: My lease ends in May my landlord said I can’t fix damages before that and he is keeping my SD. Can he do this?

My house burned down and I lost everything, I was living in a hotel room with three dogs. I was desperate for a place. The landlord raised rent $400 the night before I signed my lease because of my three dogs. He told me that the house was abandoned by the last tenant and that he understands the... Read more »

Michael Zamzow
Michael Zamzow
answered on Apr 21, 2023

You've raised quite a lot of potential issues. First, I think you're probably on the right track, listen to your gut and do some research if you're unable to hire an attorney.

Now, the following --generalizations-- might help narrow down your search (but don't limit...
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2 Answers | Asked in Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: How can I get out of my office lease with these unlivable conditions?

I have an office suite for my company that has become increasingly unlivable, piles of dead bugs, bug feces, flying ant infestation, ant traps everywhere full of dead ants, extremely cold temperatures (59 f) on occasion, and office landlord does not fix the problem. Is there a way out of my... Read more »

Peter J. Weinman
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answered on Mar 15, 2023

Have you contacted the landlord about these conditions, and assuming so, what does he say? Nobody here can say for sure without seeing your lease, but very often, with commercial leases, the tenant is responsible for some of the things you're complaining about. You should speak with the... Read more »

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2 Answers | Asked in Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: How can I get out of my office lease with these unlivable conditions?

I have an office suite for my company that has become increasingly unlivable, piles of dead bugs, bug feces, flying ant infestation, ant traps everywhere full of dead ants, extremely cold temperatures (59 f) on occasion, and office landlord does not fix the problem. Is there a way out of my... Read more »

Kenneth V Zichi
Kenneth V Zichi
answered on Mar 14, 2023

Without reading your lease it is hard to say.

RESIDENTIAL leases have an implied warranty of habitability, but that is not automatically the case with commercial leases. (Indeed, many say ‘as is’ and if that’s not good enough, tough. )

Get your lease to a local licensed...
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1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury, Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: I lived in a condo that had mold in each unit one floor had four units & common area Does the assoc have to post this

I believe there’s a law in Michigan that the condo association has the post that there is lad, our mold in the buildings in the common area

Kenneth V Zichi
Kenneth V Zichi
answered on Mar 4, 2023

I believe you’re confusing rental property and condos. They are NOT the same thing, and the rules are distinct.

While there are FEDERAL rules about the disclosure of *LEAD* in both rentals and sales, there are no federal or state rules in Michigan about mold. For either condos or rental...
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2 Answers | Asked in Contracts, Foreclosure, Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: I entered into a bad land contract deal and I need help- the title company signed the deed over amongst other things

I bought my house 2/2020 and put it up for sale 10/2020 not knowing this was not allowed as I have a RD loan- I used a Realtor and she wrote a bad land contract for the sale. The buyer does not pay as agreed and I want to do a forfeiture but don't trust myself to try alone and really... Read more »

Kenneth V Zichi
Kenneth V Zichi
answered on Jan 24, 2023

Let me rephrase your question slightly and see if you don't spot the 'common thread' here and what you need to do to 'stop the cycle':

1) I bought land without having an attorney review the transaction.

2) I had a real estate agent who is NOT an attorney...
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2 Answers | Asked in Contracts, Foreclosure, Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: I entered into a bad land contract deal and I need help- the title company signed the deed over amongst other things

I bought my house 2/2020 and put it up for sale 10/2020 not knowing this was not allowed as I have a RD loan- I used a Realtor and she wrote a bad land contract for the sale. The buyer does not pay as agreed and I want to do a forfeiture but don't trust myself to try alone and really... Read more »

David Soble
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David Soble
answered on Jan 24, 2023

The real estate agent and their broker may be responsible for writing a legal document as non -attorneys. With regards to your land contract being called due, lenders and banks usually have provisions in their mortgage that call a note due upon the conveyance of title. The issue is whether or not,... Read more »

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2 Answers | Asked in Contracts, Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: So I'm being sued from an apartment from 4 years ago. I paid my month to month and notified them of my leave.

It was agreed I pay month to month after March as I was in the process of looking and buying a home, which I found in April and was moved in by May 2018. I moved out at the end of May notified the complex like agreed and left the keys, four years later I'm being sued for June and July rent,... Read more »

Kenneth V Zichi
Kenneth V Zichi
answered on Jan 6, 2023

Do you have COPIES of the documents you delivered returning the keys and providing your forwarding address?

Without copies, you didn't send them (the landlord WILL claim this!)

Your best bet at this point is to hire an attorney to fight this or just pay (a probably smaller...
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2 Answers | Asked in Contracts, Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: So I'm being sued from an apartment from 4 years ago. I paid my month to month and notified them of my leave.

It was agreed I pay month to month after March as I was in the process of looking and buying a home, which I found in April and was moved in by May 2018. I moved out at the end of May notified the complex like agreed and left the keys, four years later I'm being sued for June and July rent,... Read more »

Thomas. R. Morris
Thomas. R. Morris
answered on Jan 5, 2023

Did you sign a lease that obligated you to pay rent for a period of time that extended past the date on which you moved out? I suspect that there was a lease, and it went through July 2018. If so, the fact that you notified the landlord of your intention to move probably makes no difference.

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1 Answer | Asked in Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: What are my options for unpaid rent from a collection agency?

We moved out of our apartment 2 months ago. We did not get evicted just money owed and because my mom was a co-signer they are trying to come after her for u paid rent for $5000.

Brent T. Geers
Brent T. Geers
answered on Dec 17, 2022

If a collection agency is involved, that means there is a judgment entered by a court. Your options for changing that judgment are few. The most cost-effective way forward is to contact the collection agency to work out a settlement.

1 Answer | Asked in Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: I am locked into a year lease that is not up until August. I received a notice to quit for non payment and the two optio
Kenneth V Zichi
Kenneth V Zichi
answered on Dec 8, 2022

Your question got cut off and isn't really a question.

HOWEVER, I can answer.

You need to take your lease and that notice to quit and records showing whether or not you have paid the lease as agreed to a local attorney ASAP. We can't provide an answer here because the...
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1 Answer | Asked in Animal / Dog Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: Can a friend who i have been living with and paying rent stop me from recovering the bodies of my pets from a home fire

Trying to find my dog who was trapped in a burning house so I can bury him along with a cat and another dog and I am being told not to come on property or will be arrested for trespassing by a friend i was living with. Also I am not responsible for the house fire the home owner caused the fire that... Read more »

Brent T. Geers
Brent T. Geers
answered on Oct 28, 2022

I'm unsure you have a right to go on that property. And depending on what's going on, it could be a secured scene for criminal or insurance purposes, so you definitely would not want to enter uninvited.

1 Answer | Asked in Domestic Violence and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: I live in a market rate cooperative and own my townhouse. I was recently granted a PPO on an employee of the cooperative

That I was dating for the last 5 years. I alerted the BOD and management of the PPO and they haven’t responded, just saying that they have received copy of PPO. When I asked if he was working because I wanted to drop by the office they told me it was employee confidentiality and taunted me. I... Read more »

Brent T. Geers
Brent T. Geers
answered on Oct 22, 2022

Your former boyfriend is responsible for adhering to the terms of the PPO; not the employer, who has no more obligation to you than to him. It is unreasonable to expect an employer or cooperative to manage what is a personal legal issue between you two.

1 Answer | Asked in Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: If you live in apartment building in Michigan, that you feel is uninhabitable, does your landlord have to provide you wi

His insurance company’s name?

Brent T. Geers
Brent T. Geers
answered on Oct 22, 2022

No. Your landlord's insurance company is obligated to the landlord; for a tenant to contact or make a claim on a landlord's insurance would be like calling your neighbor's auto insurance carrier to report them speeding.

A landlord does have a legal obligation to provide an...
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1 Answer | Asked in Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: Can a mobile home owner offer sheds to buyers, but not renters? If I want one, I have to pay for the concrete and shed.

The park is paying to put in concrete and sheds for people buying their home, with a small fee added to their lot rent. But if I, a renter, want a shed, I have to pay for the concrete, and the shed. And the shed has to be approved by them. This just seems backwards to me. As I would have to pay for... Read more »

Kenneth V Zichi
Kenneth V Zichi
answered on Oct 10, 2022

The park can do what it wants with ITS land. And if that means something you don't understand that is still OK.

I can see how the park might think "someone renting is likely to skip out in the middle and leave us a mess to clean up, but a purchaser is in it for the long run so...
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1 Answer | Asked in Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: Can a township bill you for a tenant's past-due utility bills in their name?

I had a tenant on a land contract purchase agreement that put the utilities in his name including the sewer bill. He could not make payments and violated the land contract with illegal drug activity so he was kicked out by the court of Menominee County, MI. He had left a sewer bill of $661.29 and... Read more »

Kenneth V Zichi
Kenneth V Zichi
answered on Oct 5, 2022

Municipality owned/operated utilities for water and/or sewer CAN under state law, add unpaid bills into the property taxes. This doesn't sound 'unusual' to me.

What DOES matter is your misuse of the word 'tenant' which makes me think you didn't get legal advice...
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1 Answer | Asked in Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: Mailing a filing of summons and complaint for an eviction for my parents’ house (DPOA for both-they are in GA, I'm IN)

1. There are 2 defendants (unmarried). Am I able to put both names on the one complaint and summons? how many copies of each “packet” (including summons, complain, notice of quit, no lease because there isn’t one) do you need to send for each

2. Do I need to send the original green... Read more »

Brent T. Geers
Brent T. Geers
answered on Aug 19, 2022

I would suggest that for your costs and time, it would be most cost effective for you to hire a local attorney to conduct the eviction. The onus is on you as the landlord to meet each procedural and administrative step; a misstep - even unintentional - could delay, or in worst case, cause the... Read more »

2 Answers | Asked in Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: Uncle bought my house 18 years ago promising it would be mine. I have paid everything. Now wants to sell, what can i do?

I paid all of the mortgage, taxes, repairs etc. we have no signed contract.

Michael Zamzow
Michael Zamzow
answered on Aug 4, 2022

You're outlining a case that comes with a strong headwind. I am hesitant to say it is definitely barred until more information is divulged. While on the one hand it is certainly true the statute of frauds will inevitably be a defense raise by your uncle, it is not a straightforward case:... Read more »

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1 Answer | Asked in Landlord - Tenant, Consumer Law and Insurance Bad Faith for Michigan on
Q: My storage was broken into, I filed a claim & made a police report. My claim was denied.

The thieves broke off both my locks and put their own locks on so I couldn't get into my storage. The storage company siding with the insurance company which I pay insurance on my storage monthly. My claim was denied.

Kenneth V Zichi
Kenneth V Zichi
answered on Jul 25, 2022

What exactly is your question?

I can’t imagine a storage company ‘siding with’ anyone. Had you paid your storage bill? The scenario is unclear.

If you didn’t pay your bill they COUKD have auctioned off you’d stuff for back rent and Re rented the unit to someone else who...
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1 Answer | Asked in Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: Do I have the right as a renter to see a copy of a written complaint from another tenant sent to management?

I am a smoker and I smoke outside on my first-floor patio. Recently I got an email from management that there was a written complaint against me smoking there. There is nothing in the lease about the apartment complex being non-smoking. I wrote back to management that I want a copy of the complaint... Read more »

Brent T. Geers
Brent T. Geers
answered on Jul 12, 2022

No. FOIA is for public / government entities. If they were to initiate an eviction based on the complaint, I think you'd have an ability to discover that information then, but I don't think the management has any obligation to give you a copy now.

1 Answer | Asked in Landlord - Tenant for Michigan on
Q: Does my apartment complex have to give me my security deposit back?

I am in Michigan and my old apartment complex never sent me an itemized list of damages or what they were using my security deposit for and its been over a month. I took a video of me dropping off the letter in their drop box with my forwarding address on it which i gave them the exact day I moved... Read more »

Michael Zamzow
Michael Zamzow
answered on Jun 22, 2022

There is a particular timeline that must be followed in Michigan regarding security deposits on both the landlord and tenant side. If that timeline hasn't been followed, then you might have a cause of action to file and recover it.

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