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Eviction Trends in the First Half of 2025: Michigan

Eviction Trends in the First Half of 2025: Michigan

Evictions have remained a critical housing issue in 2025, as pandemic-era protections and aid have receded and housing costs continue to strain renters. This report analyzes eviction trends from January through June 2025 in three states – Michigan, Texas, and Florida – highlighting state-level data, contributing factors (such as market changes, policy shifts, inflation, and economic conditions), and comparisons to prior years. Visual charts and tables are included to illustrate key data. Each state is addressed in a separate section for clarity.

Michigan: Trends and Developments in Early 2025

Eviction Filing Volume

Michigan courts saw roughly 11,000–13,000 new eviction filings per month in the first half of 2025, totaling on the order of ~75,000 filings statewide from January through June. This volume is comparable to the same period in 2024. For context, Michigan recorded 158,876 eviction case filings in 2024, essentially flat compared to 159,573 in 2023. This suggests that eviction activity in early 2025 has stabilized at or just below pre-pandemic levels. In a typical pre-pandemic year, Michigan landlords filed eviction cases against about 1 in 6 renter households – an indication of how common evictions have been in Michigan’s rental market. The current filing rate in 2025 remains in that high range. (By comparison, during the height of COVID protections in 2020–2021, filings were far lower; those emergency measures have since expired, bringing filings back up to the “normal” high rate.)

 

Outcomes and Eviction Rate

Not all filings result in forcible removal of tenants. Michigan reports an “eviction rate” (cases that lead to an executed eviction) of only about 1–2% in recent years. This low rate suggests many cases are resolved before reaching a physical eviction – through tenant vacating, payment agreements, or dismissal. Policy changes during the pandemic may have improved this. For example, the Michigan Supreme Court introduced procedures like pre-trial hearings and remote hearings that helped reduce default judgments (eviction orders issued when tenants don’t appear in court). In Detroit’s 36th District Court, default eviction judgments dropped 44% during the pandemic after such measures were adopted. Those practices gave tenants more time and information, and their continuation has likely kept the share of filings that end in actual eviction relatively low (around 2% in 2024–2025).

 

Comparisons to Previous Years

Michigan’s eviction filings have rebounded sharply from pandemic lows. In 2020–2021, filings were suppressed by moratoriums and rental aid, but by 2022 they surged back – Michigan had 155,217 filings in 2022 and slightly more in 2023. The annual total for 2024 was on par with 2023, indicating a plateau at pre-pandemic levels. Early 2025 has not seen a further spike beyond that plateau; monthly filings in Jan–June 2025 are on the same order as those months in 2024 (e.g. about 12,000 filings in January 2025 vs 13,500 in Jan 2024). Thus, Michigan’s eviction trend in the first half of 2025 is roughly steady, with filings remaining elevated but not growing dramatically year-over-year. This contrasts with the volatile swings seen during 2020–2022 and suggests the state may have entered a period of relative stability (albeit at a high eviction level).

 

Contributing Factors

Several factors underlie Michigan’s eviction trends in 2025:

 

 

  • Housing Affordability and Inflation

Michigan entered the pandemic with an affordable housing shortage and a wide gap between wages and housing costs, and those issues persist. Post-pandemic inflation has driven up rent, utilities, and basic living costs, squeezing low-income renters. Many Michigan renters are cost-burdened (spending >30% of income on rent). With wages not keeping pace, tenants facing job loss or unexpected expenses can quickly fall behind on rent. Advocates note that renters often must choose between critical expenses and rent, leading to evictions when, for example, an emergency car repair derails their budget. These economic pressures keep eviction filings high.

 

  • Expiration of Rental Assistance Programs

Michigan benefited from federal Emergency Rental Assistance in 2021–2022 (the COVID Emergency Rental Assistance, or CERA, program). That funding helped avert thousands of evictions. However, those programs have run their course. By mid-2023 the statewide rental aid was largely exhausted, meaning by 2025 fewer tenants have access to emergency funds to cure arrears. Without that safety net, cases that might have been prevented with assistance are now proceeding to court. (A similar dynamic was seen nationally – as one housing expert noted, “those buffers are gone, and we are now seeing the realities of the housing market” in eviction courts.)

 

  • Legal and Policy Landscape

Michigan’s landlord-tenant law offers only limited tenant protections, and evictions here are handled in an expedited fashion (cases are heard in district courts, often resulting in judgements within weeks). However, Michigan has taken steps to moderate the process. The state encouraged eviction diversion programs and required pretrial mediation sessions during the pandemic, which gave tenants a chance to avoid eviction by negotiating payment plans. Some of these practices continue informally in 2025. Additionally, Detroit implemented a Right to Counsel ordinance (effective late 2022) to provide free lawyers for low-income tenants facing eviction, though advocates note the program has yet to be fully funded or realized. Even so, legal aid presence has grown since before the pandemic, and having an attorney greatly improves tenants’ chances of keeping their housing. Michigan still faces a stark representation gap – landlords are 17 times more likely than tenants to have counsel in eviction cases – but any increase in tenant counsel can reduce evictions. In sum, while Michigan’s laws remain landlord-friendly, increased court oversight and legal aid since COVID-19 have modestly blunted the eviction impact, contributing to the low execution rate (few cases ending in forcible removal).

 

  • Pending Reforms

In response to the sustained eviction crisis, Michigan lawmakers have proposed renter protection bills in 2025. In June, a package of Senate Bills 372–375 was introduced to strengthen tenants’ rights. These bills would cap rental application fees at $25, require landlords to offer a fee-free way to pay rent, allow eviction case records to be sealed and expunged after 3 years, and limit excessive “junk” fees charged to tenants. Lawmakers argue that rising rents and hidden fees are fueling housing instability, and that eviction records create long-term barriers for tenants. While these bills had not passed as of mid-2025, their introduction signals a policy recognition of the eviction problem. If enacted, such measures could gradually mitigate eviction filings (for instance, expunging old eviction records would remove a black mark that often keeps families out of housing, potentially reducing future homelessness). As of early 2025, however, no major new tenant protections have been implemented – the legislative proposals remain under consideration. Thus, the immediate landscape in which evictions are occurring is similar to 2024.

 

Summary

Michigan’s first-half 2025 eviction trend shows persistently high filings, roughly on par with the prior year’s pace. The state’s eviction rate (filings per renter household) remains among the highest in the nation (approximately 17% of renter households faced an eviction case in a typical recent year). Economic stresses (high rents, low incomes) and the end of pandemic aid keep pressure on renters, while landlords are returning to pre-pandemic filing rates. Some pandemic-era court practices and growing legal aid have helped keep many filings from culminating in actual evictions (only ~2% of cases result in forcible removal). Looking forward, Michigan’s policymakers are exploring reforms to reduce evictions and their impacts, but as of mid-2025 those reforms are still pending. Absent significant intervention, Michigan is likely to continue experiencing near-record eviction caseloads through 2025, barring an improvement in housing affordability or increased prevention resources.

 


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