Michigan security deposit law
Return deadline
30 days
Small claims limit
$7,000
What you need to know
- • Michigan law requires move-in and move-out inventory checklists — your walkthrough report satisfies your side.
- • Send your forwarding address within 4 days of move-out; the landlord then has 30 days.
- • Deposits are capped at 1.5 months’ rent; wrongful withholding is doubled.
Itemization: Itemized list of damages within 30 days. You must send your forwarding address within 4 days of moving out.
Interest: No interest required.
Deposit cap: Capped at 1.5 months’ rent.
If they wrongfully withhold: Failure to comply (or bad faith): double the amount wrongfully withheld.
Statute: Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 554.602–.616
This is general information, not legal advice. Laws change and details vary by city and situation — verify current law or consult a local attorney or tenant’s rights organization before acting.