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Michigan Security Deposit Demand Letter

In Michigan a landlord must mail an itemized list of damages within 30 days after you move out. A landlord who does not comply can owe double the deposit retained. Attorney review available.

Introduction

A security deposit demand letter is a written demand a Michigan tenant sends a former landlord to recover a security deposit that has not been returned, before filing in small claims court. In Michigan the landlord must mail the tenant an itemized list of any damages within 30 days after the termination of occupancy (MCL 554.609), and a landlord who fails to give that notice of damages within the 30 days is treated as agreeing that no damages are due and must immediately remit the full deposit (MCL 554.610). To trigger these duties the tenant must furnish a forwarding mailing address within 4 days after vacating (MCL 554.611). A deposit may be used only for actual damages beyond the normal course of habitation, unpaid or early-termination rent, and unpaid utilities (MCL 554.607), and it may not exceed one and one-half months rent (MCL 554.602). A landlord who fails to comply fully waives all claimed damages and is liable to the tenant for double the amount of the deposit retained (MCL 554.613). If the demand is ignored, a Michigan tenant can sue in small claims court for up to $7,000 (MCL 600.8401), and the deadline to sue on a written lease is six years (MCL 600.5807). DocDraft builds your Michigan security deposit demand letter from your facts, with attorney review available before you send it.

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Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    A security deposit demand letter is a written demand a Michigan tenant sends a former landlord to recover a deposit withheld past the state deadline, before taking the landlord to small claims court.

  2. 2

    The landlord must mail the tenant an itemized list of any damages within 30 days after the termination of occupancy (MCL 554.609), and if no such notice is given within the 30 days the landlord agrees no damages are due and must immediately remit the full deposit (MCL 554.610).

  3. 3

    A Michigan deposit may be applied only to actual damages that are the direct result of conduct not reasonably expected in the normal course of habitation, to unpaid rent or rent due for a premature termination, and to unpaid utility bills (MCL 554.607).

  4. 4

    A security deposit may not exceed one and one-half months rent (MCL 554.602), and charges for ordinary wear that is reasonably expected in the normal course of habitation are not proper deductions (MCL 554.607).

  5. 5

    The itemized list of damages must contain a notice, in boldface type, telling the tenant to respond by mail within 7 days after receipt or forfeit the amount claimed (MCL 554.609).

  6. 6

    A landlord who fails to comply fully with the statute waives all claimed damages and is liable to the tenant for double the amount of the security deposit retained (MCL 554.613); this turns on failure to comply, not on a finding of bad faith.

  7. 7

    If the demand is ignored, a Michigan tenant can sue in small claims court for up to $7,000 (MCL 600.8401); the deadline to sue on a written lease is six years (MCL 600.5807).

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Security Deposit Demand Letter in Michigan, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Security Deposit Demand Letter guide walks through them.

Open the Security Deposit Demand Letter guide

Customize your Security Deposit Demand Letter Template with DocDraft

[YOUR NAME] [YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS] [CITY, MICHIGAN ZIP] [EMAIL] [PHONE]

[DATE]

[LANDLORD / PROPERTY MANAGER NAME] [LANDLORD ADDRESS] [CITY, MICHIGAN ZIP]

Re: Demand for return of security deposit for [RENTAL ADDRESS, UNIT #], Michigan

Dear [LANDLORD NAME]:

I rented the property at [RENTAL ADDRESS] in Michigan from [LEASE START DATE] to [MOVE-OUT DATE], and I paid a security deposit of $[DEPOSIT AMOUNT] at the start of the tenancy. My occupancy terminated on [DATE], and within 4 days of vacating I gave you my forwarding mailing address at [FORWARDING ADDRESS] as required by MCL 554.611.

Under MCL 554.609 you were required to mail me an itemized list of any damages within 30 days after the termination of my occupancy. Under MCL 554.610, a landlord who does not give that notice of damages within the 30 days agrees that no damages are due and must immediately remit the full deposit. That deadline has passed, and to date I have received [nothing / only $AMOUNT / an itemized list I dispute for the reasons below].

A Michigan security deposit may be applied only to actual damages that result from conduct not reasonably expected in the normal course of habitation, to unpaid rent or rent owed for an early move-out, and to unpaid utility bills (MCL 554.607). It may not be applied to ordinary wear expected in the normal course of habitation. The deductions you claimed are improper because [explain: ordinary wear, no itemized list mailed within 30 days, charges beyond the permitted categories, amounts unsupported].

Because you neither returned the deposit nor mailed a proper itemized list within the 30 days required by MCL 554.609, the full deposit is due.

I am owed $[AMOUNT STILL DUE]. I demand that you mail this amount to me at the address above by [DEADLINE DATE, for example 14 days from this letter].

If I do not receive full payment by that date, I intend to file in the Michigan small claims court, where the claim limit is $7,000 (MCL 600.8401). Because you failed to comply with the security deposit statute, I will also seek double the amount of the deposit retained, as MCL 554.613 provides that a landlord who fails to comply fully waives all claimed damages and is liable to the tenant for double the amount retained.

Please send payment to the address above. I am keeping a copy of this letter and proof of its delivery.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

Note: This is a Michigan security deposit demand letter drawn from the Michigan Landlord and Tenant Act, MCL 554.601 to 554.616. Michigan sets the 30-day itemized-list deadline, the double-the-deposit-retained penalty for noncompliance, and what a landlord may deduct. For the generic template and other states, see the Security Deposit Demand Letter hub.

Michigan Requirements for Security Deposit Demand Letter

30-Day Itemized List Deadline

In Michigan the landlord must mail the tenant an itemized list of any damages within 30 days after the termination of occupancy (MCL 554.609). Your demand letter should state that this deadline has passed.

No Notice Within 30 Days Means the Full Deposit Is Due

A landlord who fails to give the notice of damages within the 30 days after termination of occupancy is treated as agreeing that no damages are due and must immediately remit the full security deposit (MCL 554.610).

Permitted Deductions and No Ordinary Wear

A Michigan deposit may be applied only to actual damages from conduct not reasonably expected in the normal course of habitation, to unpaid or early-termination rent, and to unpaid utility bills (MCL 554.607). Ordinary wear expected in the normal course of habitation is not deductible.

Deposit Cap of One and One-Half Months Rent

A Michigan security deposit may not exceed one and one-half months rent (MCL 554.602). A deposit collected above that cap can be challenged along with any improper withholding.

Seven-Day Response Notice in the Itemized List

The itemized list of damages must contain a boldface notice telling the tenant to respond by mail within 7 days after receipt or forfeit the amount claimed (MCL 554.609). A list that omits this notice does not comply with the statute.

Double the Deposit Retained for Noncompliance

A landlord who fails to comply fully with the statute waives all claimed damages and is liable to the tenant for double the amount of the security deposit retained (MCL 554.613). This turns on the failure to comply, not on proving bad faith.

Provide a Forwarding Address Within 4 Days

Furnish the landlord your forwarding mailing address within 4 days after vacating (MCL 554.611), and send the demand using a trackable method such as certified mail. Keep a copy of the letter and the delivery record for a later small claims filing.

Small Claims Limit and Deadline to Sue

If the demand is ignored, a Michigan tenant may sue in the small claims division of the district court for up to $7,000 (MCL 600.8401). The deadline to sue on a written lease is six years (MCL 600.5807), though filing promptly after the demand is the practical course.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is a written demand a Michigan tenant sends a former landlord to recover a security deposit the landlord did not properly account for within the 30 days after termination of occupancy that MCL 554.609 allows. The letter states the amount owed, disputes any improper deductions, and asks for payment by a set date. It documents that you asked for the deposit before filing in small claims court, and it can note that under MCL 554.613 a noncomplying landlord is liable for double the amount retained.

A Michigan security deposit demand letter is an informal written request that costs nothing to send and asks the landlord to pay before any case is filed. Small claims court is a formal case you file, usually after the demand is ignored, where the claim limit is $7,000 (MCL 600.8401). The demand letter often resolves the dispute on its own, and if it does not, it becomes evidence that you tried to settle first.

In Michigan the landlord must mail an itemized list of any damages within 30 days after the termination of occupancy (MCL 554.609). A landlord who does not give that notice of damages within the 30 days is treated as agreeing that no damages are due and must immediately remit the full deposit (MCL 554.610). These duties run once you have furnished a forwarding mailing address within 4 days after vacating (MCL 554.611).

A Michigan landlord who fails to comply fully with the security deposit statute waives all claimed damages and is liable to the tenant for double the amount of the security deposit retained (MCL 554.613). This penalty turns on the failure to comply, not on proving bad faith. Citing MCL 554.613 in your demand letter signals that keeping the deposit improperly can cost the landlord twice what was retained.

A Michigan landlord may apply the deposit only to actual damages that are the direct result of conduct not reasonably expected in the normal course of habitation, to unpaid rent or rent due for a premature termination by the tenant, and to unpaid utility bills (MCL 554.607). Charges for ordinary wear expected in the normal course of habitation are not proper. Deductions outside these categories can be disputed in your demand letter.

Yes. A Michigan landlord who keeps any part of the deposit must mail a written itemized list of damages within 30 days after termination of occupancy (MCL 554.609). That list must include a boldface notice telling the tenant to respond by mail within 7 days after receipt or forfeit the amount claimed. A landlord who gives no itemized list within the 30 days is treated as agreeing no damages are due and must remit the full deposit (MCL 554.610).

In Michigan the small claims division of the district court hears claims up to $7,000 (MCL 600.8401). A deposit claim can include the withheld deposit and, where the landlord failed to comply with the statute, double the amount of the deposit retained under MCL 554.613. The deadline to sue on a written lease is six years (MCL 600.5807), though sending your demand letter and filing promptly is the practical approach.

A Michigan demand letter should identify you and the landlord, give the rental address and the dates of the tenancy, state the deposit amount and the forwarding address you provided within 4 days of moving out (MCL 554.611), and note that the 30-day deadline under MCL 554.609 has passed. It should dispute any improper deductions, state the exact amount owed, and demand payment by a specific date. Referencing the double-the-deposit-retained penalty under MCL 554.613 reinforces the demand.