Tenant stopped check

[Mark Forest]

I am a Michigan landlord. The tenant' s lease ended 2/1/19 and for once she paid January rent on time. I happily deposited her check. She announced she would not be renewing in Feb. This did not surprise me since throughout the year she dropped F bombs on me every time I inquired about her late rent. However she flanked me by going back to bank and stopped payment on Jan check that I had faithfully deposited. I was not notified of this till weeks later. Isn't this some kind of fraud with a financial instrument?

[Colleen F.]

Take her to court. You can claim in small claims court for what she owes for rent and returned check fees if your lease includes them.  She did not pay February rent so she is gone?  Basically hold her to the letter of the lease.  You can talk to the bank about when she stopped payment, that can support your court claim.