(1) An owner of property who by reason of hardship is unable to contribute to the cost of an assessment for an improvement authorized in section 2(1)(a), (b), (c), (g), (h), or (n) may have the assessment deferred by application to the assessing officer. Upon receipt of evidence of hardship, the township may defer partial or total payment of the assessment.

  (2) The township board may enact an ordinance to define hardship and to permit deferred or partial payment of an assessment pursuant to this section. As a condition of granting the deferred or partial payment of an assessment, the township board shall require that any deferred assessment constitute a recorded lien against the property, subject to section 8(2).