News

The Michigan Supreme Court changed some of the court rules related to eviction cases. These rule changes go into effect on November 6, 2023. The article Going to Court in an Eviction Case has more details about the changes but some of the major changes are listed below.

• For most cases, the first court date will not be the trial. Instead, it will be a pretrial, where the court has to tell the parties about some of their rights. The trial will be scheduled at least 7 days later. This first court date should be a Zoom or other remote hearing, but check the Summons to be sure.
• If your eviction involves nonpayment of rent, consider applying for rental assistance. If you apply for rent payment assistance, bring proof of the application and tell the judge at your court date. The judge should give you a 14-day stay (pause) in the case to give the application time to go through. You can get 14 more days if you show the court that your application is still being processed or has been approved. Visit the Eviction Resource Page to look for a Housing Assessment and Resource Agency in your area that might be able to help you apply for rental assistance.
• If you have missed your first court date, you may still be able to participate. Read Judgments in Eviction Cases to learn more about when a judge can make a decision about a case without the tenant in court. Even though the rules have changed for some situations, it is still very important to attend all of your court dates.
• If a landlord does not keep a home up to code or does not have a certificate of compliance in a city where this is required, you can bring this up in your Answer in the case. This was always possible but the new court rule requires that landlords say in their court filing if the home is up to code with all health and safety laws. If this is not true, you have the chance to specifically bring this up in your Answer.