Oakland County, MI Rental Property Rules: Just Cause Eviction (2026)
Just cause eviction rules in Oakland County, MI, sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances, list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
Key Facts
- Eviction grounds statute
- MCL 600.5714
- Notice statute
- MCL 554.134
- Nonpayment notice
- 7 days
- Lease violation / month-to-month termination
- 30 days
- Controlled-substance notice
- 24 hours (with police report)
- Self-help eviction damages
- Treble (MCL 600.2918)
- Local courts
- 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th, 50th, 51st, 52nd District
Summary
Oakland County has no county-wide just-cause eviction ordinance. Landlord-tenant disputes in Royal Oak, Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Pontiac, and every other Oakland County municipality are governed by the Michigan summary proceedings statute, MCL 600.5714, and are heard in the county's 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th, 50th, 51st, or 52nd District Court depending on jurisdiction. A landlord may recover possession only on the statutory grounds listed in MCL 600.5714: generally nonpayment of rent (7-day notice), material lease violation (30-day notice), serious health hazard or extensive property damage (7-day notice), or controlled-substance activity confirmed by police report (24-hour notice). Holdover after a fixed-term lease ends is also a permitted ground.
A person entitled to possession of premises may recover possession by summary proceedings in the following circumstances: ... (b) When a person holds over premises after such time as the person fails or refuses to pay rent due ... within 7 days from the service of a written demand for possession for nonpayment of rent due.
Full Breakdown
Michigan is one of about 35 states that has no statewide just-cause eviction protection for private market tenants. 134(1). 5714(1)(g) does require just cause to evict a tenant of a city, village, township, or other unit-of-local-government housing, and (1)(h) extends just-cause protection to mobile-home park tenants. To start an eviction in Oakland County, the landlord must (1) serve the proper notice on a SCAO-approved form (DC 100c for non-payment), (2) wait out the notice period, (3) file a summons and complaint (DC 102) in the appropriate district court, and (4) appear at the hearing, typically scheduled within 10 days. 2918.
Violations & Fines
A tenant facing eviction without a statutory ground may appear at the hearing and raise the defective notice as a defense, resulting in dismissal of the case. A tenant locked out, denied utilities, or whose belongings are removed without a court order may sue under MCL 600.2918 for actual damages or $200, whichever is greater, plus treble damages for willful violations, attorney fees, and injunctive relief. Retaliatory eviction within 90 days of a code complaint or tenant-organizing activity is presumptively unlawful under MCL 600.5720 and is a complete defense to the summary proceeding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my Royal Oak or Troy landlord need just cause to evict me?
Can my Pontiac landlord just change the locks if I'm behind on rent?
Which court hears Oakland County evictions?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oakland County
Compare Oakland County to another location·View the Michigan rental property rules overview
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