Getting The Deposit Back
MCL 554.609 — thirty days, a mailed list, and four days for an address
Michigan's deposit law runs on a sequence of dated steps, and each side has some of them. A deposit may not exceed one and a half months' rent. Within 14 days of the tenant taking possession, the landlord has to give written notice of the landlord's name and address, where the deposit is held, and the tenant's obligation to give a forwarding address in writing within 4 days after moving out.
Four days after moving out, a written forwarding address. The tenant has to notify the landlord in writing, at the address the landlord gave, within 4 days after the occupancy ends. Without it, the landlord is relieved of sending the notice of damages, though the tenant's later claim to the deposit is not lost. Where the landlord never gave the notice this depends on, the tenant is relieved of the obligation.
Thirty days for the landlord to mail an itemized notice of damages. Any claim against the deposit for damage has to go to the tenant by mail within 30 days after the occupancy ends, as an itemized list with the estimated cost of repairing each item, together with the difference between the damages claimed and the deposit. A landlord who misses the 30 days is treated as agreeing that no damages are due, and has to return the full deposit immediately.
The tenant then has 7 days to respond by ordinary mail, saying in detail which charges are agreed and which are not, and the date of mailing counts as the date of the response. Within 45 days after the occupancy ends, the landlord may sue for the damages claimed, or else return the balance.
| What happened | What the act says |
|---|---|
| What happenedNo notice of damages mailed within 30 days | What the act saysAgreement that no damages are due; the full deposit is returned immediately |
| What happenedDisputed charges, and no court judgment for them | What the act saysThe landlord may not keep the disputed amount, with the exceptions the section lists |
| What happenedTenant gave no forwarding address, or did not respond to the notice | What the act saysAmong those exceptions |
| What happenedLandlord does not comply fully with the section | What the act saysWaiver of all claimed damages, and liability for double the amount of the deposit retained |
An inventory checklist is used at both ends of the tenancy. At the start the landlord gives the tenant 2 blank copies, and unless both agree to a shorter period the tenant returns 1 copy noting the condition of the unit within 7 days after receiving possession.
An amendment in 2026 (Act 102, in effect September 21, 2026) lets a landlord send the balance by direct deposit or electronic transfer in place of a check or money order, deposited within 10 days after the notice of damages is mailed. What counts as damage rather than wear, and how a court weighs a disputed list, are questions for the court hearing the case.
Sources for this section (8)
- MCL 554.609 — Itemized list of damages, and the notice of damages
- MCL 554.613 — Action for damages, retention of a security deposit, and waiver
- MCL 554.602 — Security deposit; amount
- MCL 554.603 — Security deposit; notice
- MCL 554.611 — Notice of forwarding address, and the effect of not giving one
- MCL 554.610 — Effect of noncompliance with the notice of damages requirement
- MCL 554.612 — Response to notice of damages
- MCL 554.608 — Inventory checklists
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Michigan attorney.