Most residential lease agreements terminate at the end of the stated agreement term, but under what conditions can the landlord or tenant terminate the agreement early? Reasons for early termination will differ by state, and in Michigan the law provides for some specific instances in favor of the landlord or the tenant to terminate early.

Landlord’s Options

  • The tenant or tenant’s guests or invitees fail to comply with any term of the rental agreement.
  • The tenant misrepresents any material fact on their rental application.
  • The tenant, a member of tenant’s household, or a person under tenant’s control has manufactured, delivered, possessed with intent to deliver, or possessed a controlled substance on the premises, per MCL 554.134.

Tenant’s Options

  • The premises is damaged or destroyed by fire or casualty.
  • The tenant has a reasonable apprehension of present danger to tenant or tenant’s child from domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, per MCL 554.601(b).
  • The tenant has occupied the premises for more than 13 months and provided a 60-day written notice to landlord citing one of the following reasons, per MCL 554.601(a).
  • Tenant became eligible during the agreement term to take possession of a subsidized rental unit in senior citizen housing and provides landlord with written proof of that eligibility.
  • Tenant became incapable during the agreement term of living independently, as certified by a physician in a notarized statement.