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Michigan landlord-tenant law
Checked against the Michigan statutes on October 1, 2026 Statutes current through: Public Act 103 of 2026 General information, not legal advice
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Michigan in brief
Michigan caps a security deposit at one and a half months' rent and requires a written deposit notice within 14 days after the tenant moves in. Within 30 days after the tenant moves out, you must mail an itemized notice of damages with the balance, or return the whole deposit. Unpaid rent takes a written 7-day demand before you can file for possession, and a month-to-month tenancy ends on one month's notice. Every written lease must carry the Truth in Renting notice in type of at least 12 point and must let a long-term tenant leave for subsidized senior housing or a certified inability to live independently. Michigan's landlord-tenant statutes set no late fee cap and no entry notice period, and local governments may not adopt rent control.
Key numbers
- Deposit notice of damages
- 30 days
- after the tenant moves out; to keep a disputed amount, sue within 45 days and obtain a judgment, unless a statutory exception applies
- MCL 554.609MCL 554.613
- Late fee grace period
- None set
- the landlord-tenant statutes set no grace period or cap
- MCL 554.631 to 554.641MCL 554.601 to 554.616
- Rent increase notice
- None set
- 30 days for cost pass-throughs a lease allows mid-term
- MCL 554.633(1)(l)
- Returned check fee
- $25 or $35
- $25 if paid within 7 days (excluding weekends and holidays) after a mailed statutory demand, $35 within 30 days
- MCL 600.2952
Before you sign
Application and screening fees
Partly readThe Michigan landlord-tenant statutes read for this page set no limit on application or screening fees. If you have 5 or more rental units in Michigan, you may not charge different fees or set different terms based on an applicant's lawful source of income.
MCL 554.601c(1)(b) MCL 554.601 to 554.616
More detail (2)
- If you set a minimum income, a covered landlord must count a rent voucher or subsidy toward it. The threshold-counting provision excludes emergency rental assistance; the separate bar on discriminatory terms because of using that assistance still applies. MCL 554.601c(1)(f) MCL 37.2502(3)(e), (f) See Fair housing
- Application forms and inquiry records may not show a preference, limitation or discrimination based on a protected class. MCL 37.2502(1)(f) See Fair housing
Fair housing
Partly readMichigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act bars housing discrimination based on religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status or marital status. Since April 2, 2025, a landlord with 5 or more rental units in Michigan, counting related entities, may not discriminate based on a tenant's lawful source of income, such as a housing choice voucher.
More detail (6)
- The bar covers refusing to rent, different terms, saying a unit is unavailable when it is not, and ads, application forms or inquiry records that show a preference. MCL 37.2502(1)(a) to (f)
- Those protections do not apply to renting part of an owner-occupied two-family building, a room in a single-family home where the owner or an immediate family member lives, or the owner's own home for up to 12 months after living there at least 3 months. MCL 37.2503(1)(a), (b)
- A tenant may sue over source of income discrimination for an injunction and damages of actual loss or up to three times the monthly rent, whichever is less, plus costs and reasonable attorney fees. MCL 554.601d(1)
- For covered housing, the separate disability Act bars discriminatory refusals, terms, application forms and inquiry records because of a disability unrelated to the person's ability to acquire, rent or maintain property, or use of adaptive aids. Section 37.1503 excludes specified owner- or family-occupied two-family buildings and rooms in a shared single dwelling from section 37.1502. Check coverage and other applicable protections. MCL 37.1502 MCL 37.1503
- Housing assistance the agency has not approved within 30 days after you give it all the information it requires, including proof of required repairs, is not a protected source of income. MCL 554.601(f)
- Michigan also generally requires a housing accommodation for a person with a disability unless the responsible person demonstrates undue hardship. Review the particular request under the applicable disability law rather than treating a standard policy as the complete answer. MCL 37.1102
Required disclosures
A Michigan written lease must state, in a prominent place in type no smaller than 12 point, the Truth in Renting notice in substantially the statutory form, and must state the name and address where notices to you are to be given.
More detail (6)
- If you require a security deposit, you must give the written deposit notice within 14 days after the tenant takes possession, including its fixed forwarding address statement in 12 point bold type at least 4 points larger than the body. MCL 554.603 See Landlord name and address
- Each move-in checklist must open with the statutory notice in 12 point bold type. MCL 554.608(4) See Move-in condition checklist
- If the lease does not include the statutory domestic violence statement, you must post it in your management office or hand it to the tenant at signing. MCL 554.601b(1)
- If you do not cure a missing required statement by written notice within 20 days after the tenant points it out, the tenant may sue and recover $500 or actual damages, whichever is greater. If you knew the statement was missing when the lease was signed, the tenant may sue without first giving notice, and the winner recovers court costs and statutory attorney fees. MCL 554.636(2) to (4)
- The Michigan Judicial Institute explains that leases longer than one year generally need to be reflected in writing; a sufficient signed note or memorandum may qualify. Use a complete written agreement so the rented space, term and payment obligations are clear. Michigan Judicial Institute: lease provisions
- As a practical signing check, reconcile the rental address, parties, term, rent, utility responsibilities and attachments before signing. Keep the final agreed version and later amendments together so everyone can identify the terms that apply. This organizational checklist supplements the required notices above. Michigan Judicial Institute: lease provisions
The Rentari Michigan lease prints the Truth in Renting notice on the first page in its own box in 12 point type and attaches the deposit notice and two move-in checklists.
Flood disclosure
Partly readNone of the Michigan landlord-tenant statutes read for this page requires a flood disclosure in a lease. Other Michigan law was not searched, so this page does not say none exists.
MCL 554.601 to 554.616 MCL 554.631 to 554.641
More detail (1)
- The statements the Truth in Renting Act requires in a lease are the notice and the landlord's notice address; neither concerns flooding. MCL 554.634 See Required disclosures
Landlord name and address
Your lease must state the name and address where notices to you are to be given. Your deposit notice must also give your name and address for communications about the deposit, and the name and address of the financial institution or surety holding it.
More detail (2)
- If the deposit notice leaves out this information, the tenant is relieved of the duty to give you a forwarding address. MCL 554.603
- The tenant mails a response to a notice of damages to the address you gave in the deposit notice. MCL 554.612
The Rentari lease names the landlord and the landlord's address in its opening paragraph, and the deposit notice repeats the landlord's name and address for communications.
Deposits, rent and fees
Security deposit limit
A Michigan security deposit may not exceed one and a half months' rent. The cap covers every deposit the tenant pays, including a refundable pet deposit and any required prepaid rent beyond the first full rental period.
More detail (4)
- A security deposit includes any amount returnable to the tenant if the unit comes back in the condition the lease requires, and any rent charged for one period above the average rent for the term. MCL 554.601(d)
- An amount paid for an option to purchase is not a deposit unless the arrangement was meant to evade the act. MCL 554.601(d)(i)
- You may not require a deposit at all unless you give the tenant a written deposit notice within 14 days after the tenant takes possession. MCL 554.603 See Landlord name and address
- A lease cannot waive any right the security deposit act gives the tenant, and a clause that tries is void. MCL 554.606 MCL 554.633(1)(b)
The Rentari Michigan lease states the deposit amount and says it may not exceed one and a half months' rent.
Deposit return
Within 30 days after the tenant's occupancy ends (move-out), you must mail the tenant an itemized notice of any damages you claim, with the estimated repair cost of each item, along with the balance of the deposit. If you miss the 30 days, the law treats it as your agreement that nothing is owed and you must return the full deposit immediately.
More detail (7)
- You may apply a deposit only to actual damage beyond what normal living in the home causes, unpaid rent, rent due because the tenant ended the lease early, and utility bills the tenant left unpaid. MCL 554.607
- Instead of enclosing a check or money order, you may now send the balance by direct deposit or electronic transfer to the tenant's bank, internet or mobile payment account, within 10 days after mailing the notice of damages. This option took effect September 21, 2026. MCL 554.609(3)
- The notice of damages must carry a fixed statement, in 12 point bold type at least 4 points larger than the rest of the notice, telling the tenant to respond by mail within 7 days or forfeit the amount claimed. MCL 554.609(4)
- The tenant must give you a forwarding address in writing within 4 days after moving out. If the tenant does not, you are relieved of sending the notice of damages, but the tenant can still claim the deposit later. MCL 554.611
- To keep a disputed amount, you must sue for it within 45 days after the tenant's occupancy ends, unless the tenant gave no forwarding address, did not respond to your notice, agreed in writing, or the whole claim is unpaid rent for a period the tenant had possession. Otherwise return the balance. MCL 554.613(1)
- A landlord who does not comply fully with that 45-day rule waives all claimed damages and owes the tenant double the amount of the deposit retained. MCL 554.613(2)
- If you sell or transfer the property, you stay liable for the deposit until you transfer it to the new owner and tell the tenant by ordinary mail the new owner's name and address, the new owner complies with the deposit account rule, or the deposit is returned. MCL 554.614
The Rentari Michigan lease says the notice of damages and the balance follow within 30 days after termination of occupancy, subject to the forwarding address rules.
Deposit account and interest
You must place the security deposit in a regulated financial institution. You may use the deposited money for any purpose only if you file a cash bond or surety bond with the Secretary of State covering all deposits up to $50,000 plus 25 percent of any amount above that. The security deposit act sets no interest requirement.
MCL 554.604 MCL 554.601 to 554.616
More detail (2)
- Until you establish a right to it, the deposit is legally the tenant's property. MCL 554.605
- Your deposit notice must name the financial institution or surety holding the deposit, with its address. MCL 554.603
The Rentari Michigan lease says the deposit notice will name the regulated financial institution or qualifying surety.
Move-in condition checklist
If you require a security deposit, when the lease begins, you must give the tenant two blank copies of a move-in inventory checklist covering everything you own in the unit, from carpeting and appliances to walls, doors and fixtures. The tenant returns one completed copy within 7 days after getting possession, unless you both agree to a shorter time.
More detail (3)
- Each checklist must start with a fixed notice in 12 point bold type at the top of the first page, which also tells the tenant they may ask for the last move-out checklist from the prior tenants. MCL 554.608(4)
- At move-out you complete a termination checklist on the same form, listing every damage you claim the tenant caused. MCL 554.608(2), (5)
- Damage already claimed on a move-out checklist before this tenant's occupancy cannot be charged again. MCL 554.609(2)
The Rentari Michigan lease says the landlord will furnish two blank move-in checklists, each carrying the statutory notice word for word.
Rent and late fees
The Michigan landlord-tenant acts read in full for this page set no maximum late fee and no grace period. A lease may not charge an extra fee on every way of paying rent: at least one allowed method, or the only one if there is just one, must be free of any added charge.
MCL 554.633(1)(o) MCL 554.631 to 554.641 MCL 554.601 to 554.616
More detail (5)
- The free payment method rule took effect September 21, 2026. MCL 554.633(1)(o)
- A clause that accelerates all remaining rent on a breach is void unless it also says the tenant may not owe the full accelerated amount because of your duty to minimize damages, and that either party may have a court decide the amount owed. MCL 554.633(1)(i)
- A lease may not release either party from the duty to mitigate damages. MCL 554.633(1)(k)
- Accelerated rent does not count as rent due for a 7-day demand for nonpayment. MCL 600.5714(1)(a) See Nonpayment notice
- No numeric statutory cap does not make every late fee enforceable. The Michigan Judicial Institute explains that a late charge must reasonably relate to the landlord's damages; calling it a fee in the lease does not by itself establish that it is valid. Michigan Judicial Institute: lease provisions
The Rentari Michigan lease charges the late fee the landlord sets after the grace day the landlord chooses, says Michigan sets no maximum or grace period, and recites that the fee is a reasonable estimate of the landlord's cost.
Returned payment fee
When a rent check is returned for insufficient funds or no account, you may mail the tenant a written demand in the exact wording the statute sets. The tenant then owes the check amount plus a $25 processing fee if paid within 7 days after mailing, not counting weekends and holidays, or plus a $35 fee if paid within 30 days.
More detail (3)
- If the tenant pays neither amount and a court finds the tenant responsible, the tenant owes the check amount, civil damages of twice the check or $100, whichever is greater, and $250 in costs. MCL 600.2952(4)
- A tenant who pays the 30-day amount plus agreed reasonable costs of up to $250 before trial avoids those damages. MCL 600.2952(5)
- You may bring the claim in small claims court, with any award capped at that court's limit. MCL 600.2952(6) See Small claims
The Rentari lease charges a returned payment fee only when the landlord enters one, in the amount entered.
Rent increase notice
Michigan's landlord-tenant statutes set no notice period for raising rent when a lease ends. During a lease, you may not change any term, rent included, without the tenant's written consent, unless the lease itself allows certain changes on at least 30 days' written notice.
More detail (3)
- The changes a lease may allow on 30 days' written notice are changes required by law, rule changes needed to protect the health, safety or peaceful enjoyment of tenants and guests, and rent increases to cover higher property taxes, higher charges for electricity, heating fuel, water or sewer used at the property, or higher liability, fire or worker compensation insurance premiums. MCL 554.633(1)(l)(i) to (iii)
- The statutes read set no separate rent increase notice for a month-to-month tenancy; ending one takes the notice described under ending a month-to-month tenancy. MCL 554.134(1) See Ending a month-to-month tenancy
- If you raise a tenant's obligations as a penalty for asserting rights or complaining to a government agency, and the tenant's failure to meet the added obligations is the main reason for ending the tenancy, the tenant has a defense to eviction. MCL 600.5720(1)(e) See Retaliation
The Rentari lease can be changed only by a written amendment signed by all parties.
During the tenancy
Landlord entry
Not set by statuteMichigan's landlord-tenant statutes set no notice period for a landlord's entry into a rented home. The statute on interference with possession lets an owner interfere temporarily only as needed for repairs or inspection, and only as the law provides.
MCL 600.2918(3)(b) MCL 554.631 to 554.641
More detail (1)
- Interference with a tenant's possession outside that exception lets the tenant recover actual damages or $200, whichever is greater, for each occurrence. MCL 600.2918(2) See Lockouts and utility shutoffs
The Rentari Michigan lease says Michigan sets no entry notice period and has the landlord give written notice of at least 24 hours, or the number of hours the landlord sets, for non-emergency entry at reasonable times.
Repairs and habitability
In every Michigan residential lease, the landlord promises that the home and all common areas are fit for the use intended, to keep the home in reasonable repair during the lease, and to comply with state and local health and safety laws. The promise does not cover disrepair or a violation the tenant caused through willful or irresponsible conduct or lack of conduct.
More detail (3)
- Parties to a lease with a current term of at least one year may modify these obligations. MCL 554.139(2)
- Separately, a lease may not waive or alter a remedy the parties have when the home violates these covenants. MCL 554.633(1)(a)
- The covenants are construed liberally, and a tenant who inspected the home before signing still has their benefit. MCL 554.139(3)
The Rentari Michigan lease repeats the landlord's covenants of fitness and repair and says nothing in it waives or alters the tenant's remedies.
Tenant repair remedies
Partly readIn an eviction for nonpayment, a tenant may defend by showing that your breach of the lease excuses the rent, and the court must deduct any rent excused by your breach of the lease or of the fitness and repair covenants. The Housing Law of Michigan provides for rent escrow, but this page did not read it.
MCL 600.5720(1)(f) MCL 600.5741
More detail (2)
- Rent paid into an escrow account, under a court order or to a receiver under the Housing Law of Michigan is also a defense to a nonpayment eviction. MCL 600.5720(1)(g)
- A clause that waives or alters these remedies is void. MCL 554.633(1)(a) MCL 554.633(3) See Repairs and habitability
The Rentari Michigan lease says nothing in it waives or alters a tenant's remedy for a violation of the fitness and repair covenants.
Locks and security devices
Partly readThe Michigan statutes read for this page set no rule on rekeying between tenants. Changing or adding locks without immediately giving the tenant keys is unlawful interference with possession.
More detail (1)
- Removing doors, windows or locks is also unlawful interference. MCL 600.2918(2)(e) See Lockouts and utility shutoffs
The Rentari lease has the landlord provide working exterior locks and bars the tenant from changing or rekeying them without written consent, except as the law permits.
Smoke alarms
Not readThe landlord-tenant statutes read for this page do not address smoke or carbon monoxide alarms. The Housing Law of Michigan and local housing codes may, and were not read for this page.
MCL 554.601 to 554.616 MCL 554.631 to 554.641
More detail (1)
- The landlord must keep the home in compliance with state and local health and safety laws, which can include alarm rules. MCL 554.139(1)(b) See Repairs and habitability
The Rentari lease has the landlord provide working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors at the start of the tenancy and bars the tenant from disabling them.
Retaliation
A court may not enter judgment for possession if the termination was mainly a penalty for the tenant trying to secure or enforce rights under the lease or the law, for complaining to a government authority about a health or safety code violation, or for lawful activity such as membership in a tenant organization.
More detail (3)
- The same defense applies if you raised the tenant's obligations as a penalty for those acts and the termination was mainly for not meeting the added obligations. MCL 600.5720(1)(e)
- If the tenant took official action through a court or government agency within 90 days before you filed, and it was not dismissed or denied, retaliation is presumed unless you prove otherwise by a preponderance of the evidence. MCL 600.5720(2)
- If the action came more than 90 days before filing or ended against the tenant, the presumption runs the other way and the tenant must prove retaliation. MCL 600.5720(2)
The Rentari Michigan lease says the landlord will not end the tenancy as a penalty for these acts and states the 90-day presumption.
Lockouts and utility shutoffs
A landlord may not take back possession by self-help. Changing locks without immediately giving the tenant keys, removing or keeping the tenant's belongings, boarding up the home, removing doors, windows or locks, or causing an interruption of heat, running water, hot water, electricity or gas, whether the tenant arranged the service or you must furnish it, is unlawful interference with possession.
More detail (3)
- The tenant may recover actual damages or $200, whichever is greater, for each occurrence, and regain possession. A tenant forcibly put out may recover three times actual damages or $200, whichever is greater. MCL 600.2918(1), (2)
- These protections cannot be waived. A tenant has 90 days to sue to regain possession and one year to sue for damages. MCL 600.2918(7), (8)
- Entry into premises must be permitted by law and made peaceably, not by force. MCL 600.5711(1), (2)
The Rentari lease says nothing in it lets the landlord change locks or exclude the tenant except through the court process the law requires.
Ending a tenancy
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
Either party may end a tenancy at will, such as month to month, with one month's notice. When rent is paid at intervals shorter than three months, notice equal to the interval between rent payments is enough, and the tenancy ends at the end of a period that long.
More detail (2)
- A notice is not void because the end date it states does not fall at the start or end of a rental period. MCL 554.134(1)
- A year-to-year tenancy ends one year after either party serves a notice to quit. MCL 554.134(3)
The Rentari Michigan lease lets either party end a month-to-month tenancy on one month's written notice, equal to the interval between rent payments.
Ending a fixed term early
Every Michigan lease must let a tenant who has lived in the unit more than 13 months end it on 60 days' written notice if the tenant becomes eligible for subsidized senior citizen housing and gives you written proof, or becomes unable to live independently as a physician certifies in a notarized statement.
More detail (9)
- A tenant with a reasonable fear of present danger from domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking can be released from rent by giving written notice by certified mail with qualifying documents, such as a valid protection order or a police report that led to charges. MCL 554.601b(1) to (3)
- That release takes effect no later than the first day of the second month that rent is due after the notice, never before the tenant moves out, and does not reach prepaid amounts such as first and last months' rent. MCL 554.601b(2)
- You may apply the deposit to rent due because the tenant ended the lease early. MCL 554.607(b) See Deposit return
- A lease may not release either party from the duty to mitigate damages. MCL 554.633(1)(k)
- If the home is destroyed or made unfit to live in without the tenant's fault, the tenant may move out and owes no rent after surrendering possession, unless your written lease provides otherwise. MCL 554.201
- Share a released tenant's forwarding address only as your ordinary business requires, and never intentionally reveal it or the tenant's documents to the person the tenant named as the source of danger. Other tenants on the same lease stay bound by it. MCL 554.601b(4), (5)
- The release packet must include a written statement of reasonable apprehension of present danger to the tenant or the tenant's child, along with the supporting document. The statutory child definition includes a minor child living with the tenant or an adult child who is legally incapacitated. MCL 554.601b(1)-(2), (8)(a)
- Qualifying protective, probation, conditional-release or parole orders must still be in effect when submitted and meet the statutory conditions. For a police report, charges filed within the preceding 14 days satisfy one document route; a report with older charges also requires a verifiable threat of present danger. The statutory verified-report form can demonstrate that threat. MCL 554.601b(3)(a)-(e)
- A report verified by a qualified third party is a separate document option, using substantially the statutory form. The listed verifiers include sexual-assault or domestic-violence counselors, licensed or registered health professionals, mental-health professionals, and clergy affiliated with a qualifying tax-exempt religious institution listed in a telephone directory. This route does not require obtaining a protection order or a police report first. MCL 554.601b(3)(e), (8)(c), (e)
The Rentari Michigan lease includes the senior housing and incapacity release in the statute's terms and the domestic violence statement, and commits the landlord to try in good faith to re-rent after an early move-out. It also lets either party end the lease by written notice if a casualty the tenant did not cause makes the home wholly unfit to live in, with rent prorated to that date.
Nonpayment notice
If rent is unpaid, you may serve a written demand for possession. If the tenant stays without paying within 7 days from service, you may start summary proceedings. The demand must be dated and signed, describe the home, state the reasons, the time to act and the amount due.
MCL 600.5714(1)(a) MCL 600.5716
More detail (4)
- You may serve the demand by handing it to the tenant, leaving it at the home with a household member of suitable age who is asked to pass it on, or by first-class mail. A mailed demand counts as served on the next regular mail delivery day after mailing. MCL 600.5718(1)(a) to (c)
- Electronic service works only if the tenant consented in writing and the consent was confirmed by an electronic reply. You may not refuse to rent to someone who declines electronic service. MCL 600.5718(1)(d), (2)
- Rent due does not include any amount accelerated because of a breach. MCL 600.5714(1)(a)
- A landlord may also end a tenancy for nonpayment with a written 7-day notice to quit. MCL 554.134(2)
Lease violation notice
Michigan sets no general notice or cure period for a lease violation other than unpaid rent. If the lease gives you a power to terminate for the breach, or the law implies one, you may start summary proceedings once the tenant holds over after that termination.
More detail (5)
- If the tenant willfully or negligently causes a serious and continuing health hazard or extensive and continuing physical injury to the home, discovered within the 90 days before you file, you may serve a demand for possession; the tenant then has 7 days after service to leave or substantially restore or repair. MCL 600.5714(1)(d)
- If the lease allows termination for controlled substance activity on the premises and a formal police report was filed, a 24-hour demand for possession or notice to quit applies. MCL 600.5714(1)(b) MCL 554.134(4)
- If the tenant, a household member or a person under the tenant's control caused or threatened physical injury to someone on your property and police were notified, a 7-day notice to quit applies, except where the person hurt or threatened is the tenant or in the tenant's household, or federal housing rules forbid it. MCL 600.5714(1)(e)
- A month-to-month tenant whose lease gives no power to terminate for the breach can be removed after the one-month notice to quit ends the tenancy and the tenant holds over, unless a shorter statutory route applies: the 7-day demand for a serious health hazard or extensive injury to the premises, or the 7-day notice to quit after physical injury or threats on your property. MCL 600.5714(1)(c)(iii) MCL 554.134(1) MCL 600.5714(1)(d), (e) See Ending a month-to-month tenancy
- Public housing and mobile home park tenants are not holding over after a lease termination unless it was for just cause. MCL 600.5714(2), (3)
Eviction process
Michigan evictions are summary proceedings in district court. After the required demand or notice period runs, you file, and the summons sets trial within 10 days after it issues, served at least 3 days before trial, unless a local court rule sets a different schedule.
MCL 600.5704 MCL 600.5714 MCL 600.5735(2)(b), (4)
More detail (4)
- Unless a court rule says otherwise, the case must be heard within 7 days after the tenant's appearance or trial date and may be adjourned beyond that only by agreement of the parties. MCL 600.5735(6)
- In a nonpayment case the judgment states the amount due, after deducting rent excused by your breach of the lease or of the repair covenants. MCL 600.5741 See Tenant repair remedies
- The writ of restitution generally may not issue until 10 days after judgment, and in a nonpayment case it may not issue if the tenant pays the judgment amount and taxed costs within that time. MCL 600.5744(5), (7)
- The court may not enter judgment for possession if the termination was retaliatory. MCL 600.5720 See Retaliation
The Rentari Michigan lease says any action under it is brought in the district court where the home is located.
Abandoned property
Partly readYou do not unlawfully interfere with possession if you believe in good faith that the tenant has abandoned the home, have reason after diligent inquiry to believe the tenant does not intend to return, and current rent is unpaid. The statutes read for this page set no storage period for belongings left behind.
More detail (2)
- A separate procedure applies after a tenant's death: you told the tenant in writing of the option to name an authorized contact, rent is unpaid, you believe in good faith the tenant died at least 18 days earlier with no surviving tenant, at least 10 days before reentry you post a notice on the door, notify the public administrator and reasonably try to reach any contact the tenant named, and no probate estate has been opened. MCL 600.2918(3)(d)
- After an eviction judgment, the officer serving the writ removes the occupants and their belongings, leaves the property in an area open to the public or the public right-of-way or delivers it to the sheriff, and decides whether it was abandoned. MCL 600.5744(1), (2) See Eviction process
The Rentari lease treats the home as abandoned only when the tenant is absent, rent is unpaid and the circumstances show surrender, and says belongings left behind are handled as the law requires.
Small claims
The small claims division of each Michigan district court hears money claims of up to $7,000, the limit in effect since January 1, 2024.
More detail (1)
- A returned check claim may be brought in small claims, with the award capped at the division's limit. MCL 600.2952(6) See Returned payment fee
More Michigan rules
Clauses a Michigan lease may not contain
The Truth in Renting Act voids a lease clause that, among other things, waives security deposit rights, provides for a confession of judgment, excuses the landlord from liability for failing to perform a legal duty, waives a jury trial or court procedure, makes a party pay attorney fees beyond what a statute permits, gives the landlord a security interest in the tenant's belongings except as the law allows, or requires a power of attorney.
More detail (4)
- A lease may not include a clause that, at least 90 days before the lease was signed, a statute prohibited or the Michigan or United States Supreme Court declared unenforceable under Michigan law. MCL 554.633(2)
- You may cure a prohibited clause by written notice to all affected tenants, given personally or by first-class or certified mail, saying it is void or bringing it into compliance. MCL 554.635(1), (3)
- If you do not cure within 20 days after a tenant's written notice, the tenant may sue to end the lease, for an injunction, or for $250 or actual damages, whichever is greater, or $500 if the clause is explicitly and unambiguously prohibited. No notice is needed if you knew the clause was prohibited when the lease was signed, or a court already found it void in a case you were part of, and the winner recovers court costs and statutory attorney fees. MCL 554.636(1) to (4)
- The Act's requirements cannot be waived. MCL 554.639
The Rentari Michigan lease limits attorney fees to those a Michigan statute permits and says nothing in it excuses the landlord from a legal duty or waives a jury trial or other procedural right.
Tenant screening and report review
Use clear, lawful rental criteria and apply them consistently. A background report may contain credit, rental, court or other information, but availability does not mean every item may be used for every property. Tenant-screening reports are consumer reports under the FCRA; federal reporting duties and applicable state and local housing protections all matter.
FTC: using consumer reports as a landlord City of Ann Arbor: rental housing laws
More detail (3)
- Ann Arbor has a distinct local restriction. The city's rental-housing guidance says its Fair Chance Access to Housing Ordinance prohibits landlords with one or more units in the city from using criminal history in tenant selection. Check the ordinance's coverage and any specific exception before asking for that information or ordering a report containing it. This is an Ann Arbor example, not a statewide screening permission or a review of every Michigan city. City of Ann Arbor: rental housing laws
- If a consumer report contributes to a denial, higher rent or deposit, a cosigner requirement or another unfavorable decision, give an adverse-action notice. Include the reporting company's name, address and phone number; explain that it did not make the decision and cannot explain your reasons; and state the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information and request a free report from that company within sixty days. The FTC recommends a written notice. Additional duties can apply to investigative reports and under local law. FTC: using consumer reports as a landlord
- Check that the report belongs to the applicant and that court entries show the relevant outcome rather than assuming a filing proves an eviction. Give discrepancies careful attention, preserve relevant communications and direct report errors to the reporting company's dispute process. Keep the criteria, authorization and report date, reviewed facts and any required notice in an access-controlled file. A report score alone does not explain a rental decision. FTC: disputing tenant background report errors See Fair housing
Preparing your first Michigan rental
Prepare the home, rental terms and required paperwork as one sequence. Check local property requirements, budget for vacancy and repairs, and have the lease notices, deposit records and inventory checklists ready before move-in.
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- Compare similar homes by location, size, condition and included utilities. Budget from realistic rent receipts and the costs you will pay, including taxes, insurance, maintenance, turnover and vacancy. Keep a repair reserve. Check local rental registration, licensing, inspection and safety requirements for the address rather than assuming the state guide covers every local step. MCL 554.139(1)
- Complete repairs and document the starting condition. If you require a deposit, prepare the two inventory checklist copies and explain the return procedure described in the condition topic. Record the date possession begins, track the deposit-notice deadline, and set up the required deposit holding arrangement. Keep the deposit file separate from ordinary operating records. MCL 554.608 MCL 554.604 MCL 554.601 to 554.616 See Move-in condition checklist
- Prepare lawful criteria before advertising and screening, including the source-of-income and selected local protections described in this guide. Check the lease for the Truth in Renting notice, notice address and prohibited clauses, then confirm the home, parties, dates, rent, utilities, deposits and entry arrangements. Keep signed copies and delivery records. MCL 554.634 See Required disclosures
- Explain payment methods, repair contacts and urgent-problem reporting at move-in. Keep a ledger and organize receipts, condition records, maintenance requests, completed work, notices and communications with appropriate access limits. Calendar lease events and notice deadlines. Review the facts yourself even when software organizes the workflow. MCL 554.139(1) See Repairs and habitability
Local rules
Rent control and local rules
Michigan bars counties, cities, villages and townships from enacting, keeping or enforcing an ordinance that controls the rent charged for private residential property.
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- A local government may still manage property it has an interest in and may use voluntary incentives and agreements to increase the supply of moderate or low cost rentals. MCL 123.411(3), (4)
Cities such as Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Lansing have their own rental registration, inspection and housing code rules that can add duties for rental property. None was read for this page, so no local rule is listed here; check the codes of the city or township where the property is located.
Michigan landlord questions
How much can I charge for a security deposit in Michigan?
No more than one and a half months' rent. Required prepaid rent beyond the first full rental period and other refundable amounts count toward that cap.
When do I have to return a Michigan security deposit?
Within 30 days after the tenant moves out, mail the tenant an itemized notice of damages with the balance. Miss that deadline and you must return the full deposit immediately. To keep a disputed amount, you must sue within 45 days after move-out unless an exception applies.
What notice do I owe a tenant about the deposit?
If you require a security deposit, give the tenant, within 14 days after move-in, a written notice with your name and address, the name and address of the bank or surety holding the deposit, and the fixed forwarding address statement in 12 point bold type at least 4 points larger than the body.
Do I have to use a move-in checklist in Michigan?
Yes, if you require a security deposit. Give the tenant two blank copies of an inventory checklist at the start of the lease, with the statutory notice at the top of the first page. The tenant returns one within 7 days after getting possession.
How much notice does a Michigan tenant get for unpaid rent?
A written demand for possession gives the tenant 7 days from service to pay before you can start summary proceedings. A mailed demand counts as served on the next regular mail delivery day.
Is there a cap on late fees in Michigan?
The Michigan landlord-tenant acts set no maximum late fee and no grace period. A lease may not put an extra fee on every payment method it allows, so at least one allowed method, or the only one if there is just one, must carry no extra fee.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Michigan?
One month's notice, or notice equal to the interval between rent payments when rent is paid more often than every three months.
How much notice must I give before entering in Michigan?
Michigan's landlord-tenant statutes set no entry notice period. The interference statute allows temporary interference only as needed for repairs or inspection and as the law provides, so follow the notice your lease promises.
Can I raise the rent during a Michigan lease?
Not without the tenant's written consent, unless the lease allows a rent increase to cover higher property taxes, utility charges or insurance premiums on at least 30 days' written notice.
Can a Michigan tenant break a lease early?
In some cases. A tenant of more than 13 months may leave on 60 days' written notice to move into subsidized senior housing or when a physician certifies they can no longer live independently, and a tenant with a reasonable fear of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking can be released from rent by following the statute's notice and documentation steps. If the home is destroyed or made unfit to live in without the tenant's fault, the tenant may also move out and owe no further rent, unless your written lease provides otherwise.
Can I change the locks or shut off utilities to get a tenant out?
No. Changing locks without giving keys, removing belongings, or causing a shutoff of heat, water, electricity or gas, whether the tenant pays for the service or you must furnish it, is unlawful interference, and the tenant can recover actual damages or $200, whichever is greater, for each occurrence.
Can a Michigan city limit how much rent I charge?
No. State law bars local governments from enacting or enforcing rent control on private residential property.
Can I refuse an applicant with a housing voucher in Michigan?
Not if you and related entities have 5 or more rental units in Michigan. Since April 2, 2025, those landlords may not refuse or treat applicants differently based on a lawful source of income, and must count a voucher toward any income requirement. Housing assistance the agency has not approved within 30 days after you give it all the information it requires, including proof of required repairs, is not a protected source of income.
Statutes read for this page
- Security deposit act, Act 348 of 1972 (MCL 554.601 to 554.616)Read in full
- Truth in Renting Act, Act 454 of 1978 (MCL 554.631 to 554.641)Read in full
- Tenancy notice and repair covenants (MCL 554.134, 554.139)2 sections
- Revised Judicature Act chapter 57, summary proceedings (MCL 600.5711 to 600.5744)8 sections
- Revised Judicature Act, interference with possession, returned checks, small claims (MCL 600.2918, 600.2952, 600.8401)3 sections
- Local rent control prohibition (MCL 123.411)1 section
- Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, housing (MCL 37.2502, 37.2503)2 sections
- Untenantable premises (MCL 554.201)1 section
- Current Michigan income and disability housing protectionsFull live MCL 37.2502, 37.1102, 37.1502 and 37.1503, including history, read October 15, 2026; site complete through Public Act 103 of 2026. Full status and history of 2023 HB 4878 and 2024 HB 5605 read; proposed rules not treated as enacted law. No whole disability Act, fresh chapter 554 Acts, federal law, local codes or case-law review.
- Selected survivor-release documentation and senior-housing provisionsSelected follow-up October 15, 2026: full official MCL 554.601a(1)-(2) and 554.601b(1)-(8), including the complete verified-report form, definitions and histories, read. Legislature compilation states complete through PA 103 of 2026. Added only survivor-release statement and document qualifications. Other statutory sections, federal law, cases, local codes and individual eligibility were not freshly reviewed; broader October 1 checked_on retained.
- Michigan Judicial Institute: selected lease guidanceSelected writing, form-lease and late-fee portions of the current Lease Provisions overview consulted for this editorial update. No underlying-case or individual-statute sweep; broader review date retained.
Not read for this page (7)
- The Housing Law of Michigan, which covers rent escrow, housing standards and inspections in the communities it reaches.
- The rest of Michigan's Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act. Only full sections 37.1102, 37.1502 and 37.1503 were read for the selected housing addition.
- The Legislature's guide for tenants and landlords, not read for this page.
- The Michigan Court Rules for landlord-tenant cases and for counting time.
- The rest of the summary proceedings chapter, including the mobile home park rules.
- City and county housing codes, rental registration and inspection ordinances.
- Michigan's Consumer Protection Act, which the Truth in Renting Act uses as one test of an unlawful lease clause.