Landlord / Tenant & Land Contact Forfeiture Cases

Case Types

Landlord/Tenant cases are intended to handle disputes between a landlord and tenant(s) occurring within the City of East Lansing. The following are the types of landlord tenant cases:

Non Payment of rent
Termination of tenancy (30-day notice)
Health hazard or injury to premises
Land contract forfeitures and disputes

Definitions

A tenant is a person renting an apartment, house, mobile home or building. A landlord is a person who is renting the apartment, house, mobile home, or building to the Tenant. Both landlords and tenants have legal rights.

Notice to Quit Forms

If a tenant is not paying rent, creating a health hazard or refusing to leave at the conclusion of the term of the lease, the landlord must first complete and serve the tenant one of the appropriate Notice to Quit forms:

The landlord will deliver the notice to the tenant by personal service, substitute service or first class mail. If the tenant has not vacated the property by the period of time specified on the particular notice you used, the landlord may file an action with the court.

Filing for Court Action

To file an action with the court, you will need the following documents:

Summons (DC104) (PDF) (notice to the defendant that they are being sued)
Complaint Non-Payment of Rent (DC102a) (PDF) or Termination of Tenancy (DC102c) (PDF) or Health Hazard / Injury to Premises (DC102b) (PDF). (The complaint lists the specific allegations why the tenant(s) should be evicted. The complaint must match the Notice to Quit form)
Notice to Quit Form (see above)
Lease or written agreement

The tenant must be served with two copies of each of these documents; one by a process server and one by first class mail. Please refer to the chart below for the number of copies of each document you will need to provide. You will also need to pay a filing fee when the action is filed.

Number of copies needed to file landlord/tenant action

One tenant

Summons (5 part form)
Complaint (4 part form)
Original Notice to Quit & 3 copies
Lease or written agreement - 3 copies
One envelope addressed to tenant with sufficient postage affixed, usually 98 cents

Two tenants

Summons (5 part form) plus two copies of the second page
Complaint (4 part form) plus two copies of the front page
Original Notice to Quit & 5 copies
Lease or written agreement - 5 copies
One envelope addressed to each tenant with sufficient postage affixed, usually 98 cents

Each additional tenant

Summons - add two copies of second page for each additional tenant
Complaint - add two copies of front page for each additional tenant
Notice to Quit - add two copies for each additional tenant
Lease or written agreement - add two copies for each additional tenant
One envelope addressed to each tenant with sufficient postage affixed, usually 98 cents

How much does it cost to file?

Resources for Tenants Facing Evictions

The Eviction Diversion Program, Holy Cross Services Coordinated Entry Agency and Legal Services of South-Central Michigan will be hosting Virtual Housing Hour every Friday from 10-11 a.m. via Zoom to provide information and to answer questions from families and individuals that are facing eviction. More information is provided on the Virtual Housing Hour (PDF) flier.

Tenants have the right to hire an attorney or ask for a legal aid attorney if facing eviction. Learn more.

The City of East Lansing has launched an Emergency Rental & Mortgage Assistance Program to provide emergency support to income-eligible East Lansing residents experiencing financial hardships as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more.