Mich. Comp. Laws § § 600.5730
Service of notice of forfeiture.
Operative Text
Sec. 5730. The notice of forfeiture provided for in section 5728 may be served by delivering it personally to the vendee or person holding possession under him or by delivering it on the premises to a member of his family or household or an employee, of suitable age and discretion, with a request that it be delivered to the vendee or person holding possession under him, or by sending it by first-class mail addressed to the last known address of the vendee or the person holding under him. If the notice is mailed, the date of service for purposes of this chapter is the next regular day for delivery of mail after the day when it was mailed. If notice cannot be served by 1 of these methods, it may be served by publication under the provisions of Act No. 235 of the Public Acts of 1929, being sections 554.301 and 554.302 of the Compiled Laws of 1948 and the date of the third publication is the date of service.
Michigan law under MCL § 600.5701 et seq. § 600.5730 establishes the acceptable methods for delivering a notice of forfeiture to a land contract vendee or the person in possession of the property. Valid delivery methods include personal service, leaving the notice with a suitable family member, household member, or employee on the premises, or sending it by first-class mail to the last known address. When mailed, the service date is the next regular mail-delivery day after mailing; if none of these methods work, service by publication is permitted, with the date of the third publication counting as the service date.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under MCL § 600.5701 et seq. § 600.5730, operators initiating a forfeiture proceeding on a land contract generally ensure that the notice of forfeiture is delivered through one of the statutorily recognized methods — personal delivery, in-person delivery to a suitable household member or employee on the premises, or first-class mail to the vendee's last known address. Compliant operators keep records of how and when notice was served, since the service date determines the timeline for subsequent proceedings. If standard methods are unavailable, publication under the referenced 1929 Act is the fallback, and the date of the third publication is treated as the official service date.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
MCL § 600.5701 et seq. § 600.5730 defines the ways a forfeiture notice must be delivered to a land contract vendee or person in possession, and understanding those methods can be important for anyone who receives — or believes they should have received — such a notice. If a notice was not served through one of the recognized methods (personal delivery, delivery to a suitable household member or employee, first-class mail, or publication), there may be grounds to question whether proper service occurred. Tenants or vendees in this situation may benefit from consulting a tenant-rights organization or legal aid office familiar with Michigan land contract law to understand what options are generally available.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation