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These are general answers about Michigan law, not advice about your situation. Each answer links to the statute, court rule or case it rests on. Last reviewed October 2026.
By Mitchell S. Bisson, Michigan attorney (P79807). Reviewed October 2026.
Michigan · 85 questions
Topics
- Title, quiet title and deeds12 questions
- Boundaries, adverse possession and easements20 questions
- Foreclosure: mortgage and tax20 questions
- Co-owners, land contracts and recovering possession12 questions
- Construction liens, builders and seller disclosure11 questions
- Condos, HOAs, deed restrictions and insurance10 questions
Start here
Start with these five
How does a foreclosure by advertisement work in Michigan?
Foreclosure by advertisement is the non-court foreclosure process for a mortgage with a power of sale. The lender publishes notice for 4 successive weeks in a county newspaper, posts a copy on the property within 15 days after the first publication, and sells the property at a public sale between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the circuit court location in the county.
How long do I have to redeem my home after a Michigan sheriff's sale?
For residential property of up to 4 units, the redemption period is 6 months from the sale if the amount claimed due at the date of the notice is more than 66-2/3% of the original debt. It is 1 month if the property is abandoned under MCL 600.3241, or 30 days (or until the 15-day notice window under MCL 600.3241a(c) runs, whichever is later) if it is abandoned under MCL 600.3241a. It is 1 year in other residential cases.
What is a quiet title action in Michigan and who can file one?
A quiet title action is a circuit court lawsuit that decides who owns land or holds an interest in it. Under MCL 600.2932(1), anyone who claims a right, title, equitable title, interest, or right to possession of land can sue a person who claims an inconsistent interest. If the plaintiff proves title, the court orders the defendant to release the competing claims.
What is adverse possession in Michigan and how long does it take?
Adverse possession lets a person who openly uses another's land as their own for 15 years become its legal owner. Michigan requires clear and cogent proof that the possession was actual, visible, open, notorious, exclusive, continuous, and uninterrupted for 15 years, and hostile and under a claim of right. The 15 years comes from MCL 600.5801(4).
Can a contractor put a construction lien on my home if we never signed a written contract?
Under MCL 570.1114, a contractor does not have a right to a construction lien on an owner's interest in a residential structure unless the work was done under a written contract between the owner and the contractor, with any amendments or additions also in writing. The written contract must contain statements about contractor licensing.
Every question
All 85 questions, A to Z
- A neighbor's structure or driveway extends onto my land. Can I make them remove it?
- After a foreclosure sale, can the lender sue me for the leftover mortgage balance?
- After a land contract forfeiture judgment, how long before I can be put out of the house?
- Besides eviction, how do I get a court to declare my right to possess land that someone else is holding?
- Can a contractor put a construction lien on my home if we never signed a written contract?
- Can a court order my co-owned house to be sold instead of divided?
- Can a prescriptive easement across my land be extinguished if the neighbor stops using it?
- Can an unlicensed contractor sue me for payment or record a lien against my home?
- Can I add the years that the previous owner used the land to reach 15 years?
- Can I fight a tax foreclosure or ask the court for more time?
- Can I inspect my homeowners or condominium association's books and records?
- Can I stay in my home during the redemption period after a sheriff's sale?
- Can I still challenge a foreclosure after the redemption period has ended?
- Can I still claim surplus proceeds if my home was sold at a tax foreclosure sale before July 2020?
- Can I sue my condominium association if it will not enforce the rules or maintain the common elements?
- Can my condominium association fine me, and what process does it have to follow?
- Can my condominium association foreclose on my unit for unpaid assessments?
- Can someone gain title by adverse possession to land owned by the state, a city, or a township?
- Can the lender sue me on the loan and also foreclose by advertisement?
- Can the owner of an easement across my land use it to reach other property or expand its use?
- Can the person who bought my house at the foreclosure sale come inside before the redemption period ends?
- Can the public walk along the beach in front of my Great Lakes home?
- Can the redemption period be cut to one month if the lender says my house is abandoned?
- Do I have to be living on the property to file a quiet title action?
- Do I need a survey for a boundary dispute, and can I sue a surveyor who got it wrong?
- Do old deed restrictions or easements expire after 40 years under Michigan's Marketable Record Title Act?
- Do squatters get ownership of a house in Michigan if nobody removes them?
- Does 'buyer beware' mean I have no claim if the seller hid a defect in my Michigan home?
- Does a contractor working on my house need a Michigan license?
- Does an easement to reach a lake let a backlot owner install a dock or moor a boat?
- Does Michigan law still require my lender to offer a loan modification meeting before foreclosure?
- Does my neighbor have to share the cost of a fence on our property line in Michigan?
- Does title automatically change hands after 15 years of adverse possession?
- How do I legally remove a squatter from my Michigan property?
- How does a foreclosure by advertisement work in Michigan?
- How long do I have to challenge a forged or fraudulent deed?
- How long do I have to redeem my home after a Michigan sheriff's sale?
- How long do I have to sue a builder for defects in my home?
- How long do I have to sue my insurer after a fire or other covered loss to my home?
- How long do I have to sue to recover land in Michigan?
- How much do I have to pay to redeem, and who gets the money?
- I paid my contractor in full, but a subcontractor recorded a lien. Do I owe again?
- If a relative asks the court to sell our family property, can I buy out their share instead?
- If I apply for a loan modification, can the lender still sell my house?
- If I buy a new condominium unit from the developer, does the developer have to give me title insurance?
- If I miss a payment on my land contract, can the seller demand the whole balance and forfeit?
- If I win a quiet title case, can I get paid for the time the other side used my land?
- If my contractor was unlicensed, can I sue under the licensing statute to get my money back?
- If our family property is heirs property, will the court divide the land or force a sale?
- If someone forged my signature on a deed, do I still own my house?
- If the county sells my foreclosed home for more than I owed in taxes, do I get the extra money?
- If the lender made a mistake in the foreclosure, is the sale automatically void?
- In a quiet title case, who has to prove ownership?
- Is there a state fund that pays if my contractor takes my money and does not pay the subcontractors?
- My co-owner cut timber or damaged our jointly owned land. Can I recover for it?
- My insurer is slow to pay my home damage claim. Do I get interest?
- My neighbor cut down trees on my property. What can I recover?
- My neighbor's fence has been in the same place for decades but a new survey shows it is on my land. Do I have to accept the fence line?
- My neighbor's violation of the deed restrictions was ignored for years. Can a restriction still be enforced?
- The seller's disclosure statement said no water problems, but my basement floods. Is the seller automatically liable?
- What are the main deadlines for property claims in Michigan?
- What are the three kinds of acquiescence claims in Michigan?
- What can I do if my insurer and I disagree on the amount of loss to my house?
- What counts as a private nuisance in Michigan?
- What deadlines apply to a construction lien on my home in Michigan?
- What deadlines apply to claiming surplus proceeds after a tax foreclosure sale?
- What do I have to include in a Michigan quiet title complaint?
- What does a Michigan foreclosure notice have to say?
- What does an owner’s title insurance policy cover in Michigan?
- What happens if the seller of my land contract tries to forfeit it?
- What if the seller gave me the disclosure statement after I signed the purchase agreement?
- What is a partition action in Michigan and who can file one?
- What is a prescriptive easement in Michigan?
- What is a quiet title action in Michigan and who can file one?
- What is adverse possession in Michigan and how long does it take?
- What is an easement implied from prior use, and how is it different from an easement by necessity?
- What is heirs property under Michigan’s partition law, and what changed in 2025?
- What is Michigan’s seller disclosure statement and when does the seller have to give it to me?
- What is the difference between judicial foreclosure and foreclosure by advertisement in Michigan?
- What is the doctrine of acquiescence for property lines in Michigan?
- What standard of proof applies to adverse possession compared with acquiescence?
- When can the county foreclose on my house for unpaid property taxes in Michigan?
- When does Michigan law give me an easement by necessity across a neighbor's land?
- Who has the right to foreclose on my mortgage in Michigan?
- Will a Michigan court enforce my subdivision's deed restrictions as written?
Questions about a Michigan matter?
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Law Offices of Mitchell S. Bisson 2828 Kraft Ave SE, Suite 295 Grand Rapids, MI 49512 (616) 213-3327 | MBisson@BissonLegal.com
This page provides general information about Michigan law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws change and every case turns on its own facts. Consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.