Between security deposits, required landlord disclosures, and tenant repair remedies, Michigan landlord-tenant law covers a lot of ground. To avoid potentially costly legal battles, landlords and tenants should understand their respective rights and responsibilities under these laws.
In this guide, we’ll cover the rules that create Michigan renters’ rights, as well as the obligations landlords must fulfill throughout a tenancy. That way, both parties can avoid preventable misunderstandings that could create problems down the road.
Under Michigan landlord-tenant law, landlords have several responsibilities to their tenants:
We explore each of these responsibilities in more detail later, including the deadlines, exceptions, and statutes behind each duty.
Learn more: Guide to Landlord-Tenant Relationships
Michigan renters’ rights cover rental conditions, landlord access, security deposits, and tenancy disputes. These rights essentially mirror landlords’ responsibilities:
We’ll also look more closely at each of these Michigan renters’ rights later in the article, including how tenants can use them, the laws to keep in mind, and the deadlines that apply.
Learn more: Guide to Tenant Rights & Responsibilities
Application fee limits: Michigan landlord-tenant law sets no statewide limit on rental application fees, nor does it require landlords to refund any unused portions.
Permissible screening criteria: Landlords may consider credit, criminal, eviction, and rental history when screening tenants. Michigan landlord-tenant law doesn’t impose screening-specific limits on those records, though Detroit and Ann Arbor restrict criminal history screening.
Look-back limits on criminal and eviction records: Michigan doesn’t set its own look-back limit. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, convictions can appear on a rental applicant’s background check report indefinitely. However, civil suits, judgments, and arrest records that didn’t lead to a conviction drop off after 7 years or the statute of limitations, whichever is longer (15 U.S.C. § 1681c).
Source-of-income and voucher protections: Michigan landlords who operate five or more rental units can’t reject an otherwise eligible applicant just because they receive income from a rent voucher or subsidy (including Section 8) (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.601c, § 37.2502).
Adverse action notice obligations: If a landlord rejects a rental application based on information in a consumer report, the FCRA requires them to send the applicant an adverse action notice identifying the reporting agency, stating that the agency didn’t make the decision, and explaining the applicant’s rights (15 U.S.C. § 1681m).
Free resources: Send Rental Applications & Screen Tenants Online
Federal protected classes: The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits landlords from discriminating against renters based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability (42 U.S.C. § 3604). (HUD)
State-added protected classes: Michigan fair housing law also prohibits discrimination based on age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and marital status. Height and weight appear elsewhere in the act, not in its real estate provisions. Source-of-income restrictions also apply to landlords who oversee at least five rental units (Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.2102, § 37.2502).
Reasonable accommodations and modifications: Landlords must make qualifying disability-related accommodations and allow tenants to pay for reasonable modifications. HUD withdrew its 2020 and 2013 assistance animal notices, and a May 2026 enforcement memo limits these complaints to animals individually trained to do disability-related work. Public housing and HUD-assisted elderly or disability housing still can’t apply pet rules to assistance animals.
Michigan’s own disability law separately requires reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, and services, along with reasonable modifications at the tenant’s expense (Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.1506a).
Discriminatory advertising language: Phrases such as “no families” or “Christians only” can unlawfully express a preference for or a dislike of a protected class. Michigan also prohibits landlords from advertising limits on source of income (Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.2502).
Complaint filing routes and deadlines: Tenants who believe they have faced discrimination can file a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights within 180 days (roughly 6 months), or a federal Fair Housing Act complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development within 1 year (42 U.S.C. § 3610).
Learn more: How to Screen Applicants Fairly
A Michigan-specific lease agreement can help prevent disputes, allowing landlords to put Michigan’s rules and required rental language in writing from the start.
Statute of frauds threshold: Michigan requires any lease longer than 1 year (or a written memorandum of the lease) to be in writing and signed by the lessor or an authorized representative (Mich. Comp. Laws § 566.106, § 566.108).
Mandatory lease terms: Michigan landlord-tenant law requires that written rental agreements state the lessor’s name and notice address and include a prominent statutory notice in at least 12-point type or 1/8-inch lettering (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.634).
Void and unenforceable clauses: Michigan courts don’t uphold lease provisions that waive habitability remedies, security-deposit rights, jury-trial or procedural rights, or eviction protections. Michigan landlord-tenant law also won’t enforce confession-of-judgment clauses or releases of liability for failing to perform legal duties (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.633).
Default rules absent a written lease: An oral rental arrangement without a fixed term may operate as a tenancy at will. Either party can typically terminate the agreement with 1 month’s notice, although a shorter rent-payment interval may require a shorter notice period (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.134).
Renewal and holdover terms: Michigan’s list of void lease provisions doesn’t include automatic renewal clauses (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.633). According to the state tenant guide, if the lease agreement doesn’t address holdover tenancy, the tenant’s continued possession of the premises and the landlord’s acceptance of rent can lead to the lease renewing for the same term.
Michigan-specific leases: Custom Online Lease Builder
Michigan landlords must make up to five disclosures to tenants, either before or at the time of signing a lease agreement.
Learn more: Online Lease Agreement Template
Maximum deposit amount: Michigan security deposit law limits residential deposits to no more than 1.5 times the monthly rent (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.602).
Fees and deposits counting toward the cap: Prepaid rent beyond the first full rental period and any refundable fee or deposit, including pet and cleaning deposits, count toward the security deposit cap. Nonrefundable fees don’t count toward the limit (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.601).
Account and interest requirements: Landlords have to store security deposits in a regulated financial institution and may use the funds only after posting the required bond. Michigan landlord-tenant law doesn’t require landlords to pay tenants interest on security deposits (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.604).
Return deadline and triggering event: Property managers and landlords must mail an itemized list of damages and a check or money order for the remaining balance within 30 days after occupancy ends. Tenants have 4 days after occupancy ends to give a forwarding address in writing (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.609, § 554.611).
Itemized statement requirements: Landlords who withhold funds from the security deposit must provide an itemized statement of damages, estimated repair costs, and the basis for each assessment.
Those who don’t provide that itemized statement within 30 days must return the full security deposit immediately, unless the tenant fails to provide a forwarding address (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.609, § 554.610, § 554.611).
Wear and tear versus tenant damage: If caused by tenant conduct, broken windows, burned countertops, or broken drawers may qualify as damage and result in security deposit deductions. However, ordinary wear and tear, like worn carpeting or faded paint, doesn’t justify a deduction (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.607).
Penalties for wrongful withholding: If a tenant disputes damage claims, landlords have 45 days after occupancy ends to sue for the funds. Landlords who fail to meet that deadline waive every claimed damage and owe the tenant double the deposit amount they retained (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.613).
Learn more: How Security Deposits Work
Due date and lawful payment methods: Michigan landlord-tenant law sets no statewide rent due date and doesn’t require landlords to accept cash or electronic payments. As a result, the lease must include all payment terms, including accepted methods and due dates.
Statutory grace period: Michigan doesn’t give tenants a grace period to pay overdue rent, so the lease determines when rent is considered late (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5714).
Late-fee cap: Michigan landlord-tenant law doesn’t cap residential late fees, though the state tenant guide says they must be reasonable and proportionate to actual damages. The Truth in Renting Act voids any lease provision that violates the Michigan Consumer Protection Act.
Partial payment consequences: Under Michigan court rules, accepting partial rent payments before an eviction trial doesn’t necessarily stop or delay a pending nonpayment case (MCR 4.201(K)(4)).
Helpful tool: Collect Rent Online for Free
Notice periods by tenancy type: Michigan landlord-tenant law requires no statewide rent increase notice period. Raising rent in a month-to-month tenancy requires the same 1 month’s notice a landlord must provide to end a tenancy (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.134).
Mid-lease increase restrictions: A landlord typically can’t raise rent during a fixed-term lease before the agreement ends, unless the lease allows it. Michigan landlord-tenant law permits operating-cost adjustments for property taxes, listed utilities, and insurance premiums, provided the lease contains a clause authorizing them and landlords give at least 30 days’ written notice (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.633).
Service and delivery requirements: Michigan doesn’t require landlords to use a specific delivery method for rent increase notices. The lease agreement sets those rules instead (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.633).
Retaliatory and discriminatory increases: Landlords can’t use rent increases to punish tenants for asserting legal rights, reporting code violations, or organizing. Fair housing laws also prohibit discriminatory rent increases (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5720, § 37.2502).
Learn more: Guide to Rent Increase Laws
Michigan doesn’t have statewide rent control or rent stabilization laws. In fact, state law expressly prohibits localities from enacting their own residential rent control measures. However, Michigan’s Consumer Protection Act bars charging a price grossly in excess of what similar property or services sell for (Mich. Comp. Laws § 123.411, § 445.903).
The implied warranty of habitability: Michigan landlord-tenant law requires landlords to keep rental premises fit for their intended use, conduct reasonable repairs, and comply with health and safety laws (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.139).
Conditions constituting a violation: Michigan’s housing laws expressly address heating, running water, plumbing, electrical wiring, roof leaks, dampness, and vermin infestations (Mich. Comp. Laws § 125.471, § 125.472, § 125.474).
Tenant notice requirements: State law doesn’t require tenants to use a statewide written notice form for repairs. Before a court approves repair-and-deduct, the tenant must be the complainant and can’t have caused the violation.
Landlord response deadlines: Michigan landlord-tenant law sets no statewide deadline for repairs. Under the state’s housing laws, an enforcing agency will order serious and imminent hazards to be corrected within the shortest reasonable time, while other violations receive a reasonable correction period (Mich. Comp. Laws § 125.532).
Repair-and-deduct, withholding, and escrow remedies: Michigan has no general repair-and-deduct statute. However, the state’s tenant guide states that when a landlord fails to make repairs, a tenant may be able to make them and deduct the cost from rent, depending on the circumstances.
A landlord’s breach that excuses the rent is a defense to a nonpayment possession case. Where a rental has no certificate of compliance, rent goes into an agency-run escrow account, and a court can let a blameless tenant repair and deduct (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5720, § 125.530, § 125.534).
Helpful tool: Rental Property Maintenance Coordination
Advance notice requirements: Michigan landlord-tenant law doesn’t require landlords to give a specific amount of advance notice or use a particular delivery method before entering the rental unit. For leaseholds covered by Michigan’s Housing Law, owners must request and obtain permission before entering, except in emergencies (Mich. Comp. Laws § 125.401, § 125.526).
Lawful reasons for entry: Michigan doesn’t provide a statewide list of legal reasons for a landlord to enter a property. Lease agreements typically address entry for repairs, inspections, and showings, but landlords must still respect the tenant’s right to privacy (Mich. Comp. Laws § 125.526).
Emergency exception: When the Michigan Housing Law applies, emergencies such as fire, flood, or another threat of serious injury or death allow landlords to enter a rental property at any time without tenant permission. Outside an emergency, the owner has to request and obtain the tenant’s permission (Mich. Comp. Laws § 125.526).
Remedies for unlawful entry and refused access: If a landlord unlawfully interferes with a tenant’s possession of a rental property, the tenant may recover damages and seek injunctive relief.
For Housing Law inspections, an enforcing agency has to obtain an administrative warrant in a non-emergency whenever an owner or occupant demands one (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.2918, § 125.527).
Free form: 24-Hour Notice to Enter
No-cause termination notice periods: For a no-cause termination, month-to-month tenancies typically require 1 month’s notice, while a notice ending a year-to-year tenancy takes effect 1 year after it’s served. A fixed-term lease ordinarily ends on its stated date and doesn’t require renewal.
Michigan doesn’t have statewide good-cause laws for private rentals, although public housing and mobile home parks have exceptions (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.134, § 600.5714).
Statutory early-termination rights: Qualifying service members need written notice and military orders to terminate a lease agreement early without penalty. Domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking survivors need to provide notice via certified mail and show qualifying documentation (50 U.S.C. § 3955, Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.601b).
Notice periods by ground: Michigan eviction laws set required notice periods that depend on the reason for eviction (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.134, § 600.5714):
Curable versus unconditional notices: Tenants can cure nonpayment complaints by paying the amount due, while serious property damage or a health hazard requires substantial restoration or repair. Tenants don’t have the right to cure the issue for drug-related and qualifying threat cases (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5714).
Court filing through judgment: Once the notice period expires, the landlord must file a complaint and serve a summons, which requires the tenant to appear within 10 days of issuance. (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5735, MCR 4.201).
Writ of possession and execution: In most cases, a court can’t issue an eviction order until 10 days after judgment. An authorized court officer or law-enforcement officer will remove the occupants and their property (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5744).
Self-help eviction penalties: Lockouts, utility shutoffs, removing doors, and removing tenant property all qualify as unlawful self-help evictions. Tenants may recover actual damages or $200 per occurrence (whichever is greater), and forcible unlawful ejection may require landlords to pay 3 times actual damages (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.2918).
Learn more: Michigan Eviction Laws
Squatter, holdover tenant, and guest distinctions: A squatter enters and resides on a property without permission; a holdover tenant refuses to move out after a valid tenancy ends; and a guest enters with the tenant’s permission. The removal process depends on the person’s actual occupancy rights (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5714).
Adverse possession elements and statutory period: To file a successful adverse possession claim, Michigan requires actual, visible, open, notorious, exclusive, hostile, continuous, and uninterrupted possession under a claim of right for 15 years (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5801).
Color of title and property tax payment: Paying property taxes doesn’t shorten Michigan’s 15-year adverse possession requirement, though certain court-ordered and tax deeds carry shorter periods (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5801).
Lawful removal routes: Owners may use summary proceedings to remove someone who entered by trespass without color of title or possessory interest.
Michigan also permits owner entry in specified trespassing situations (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5711, § 600.5714).
Practical likelihood of a successful claim: Adverse possession requires 15 years of qualifying possession and clear proof, so successful adverse possession claims are very rare. Owners face a much more immediate risk from delays and legal costs.
To keep properties out of squatters’ hands, landlords should monitor vacant properties and secure every entry point, including doors and windows. Keep the exterior maintained so the home doesn’t appear abandoned, and document all authorized occupants.
If someone enters without permission, landlords should verify their status quickly and use Michigan’s lawful removal options instead of guessing which process to use.
Learn more: What are Squatters’ Rights?
Abandoned property after move-out: Michigan doesn’t have statewide requirements for storage, notice, or waiting periods for belongings. After a court-ordered eviction, the officer executing the writ will leave removed property in a public area or deliver it to the sheriff (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5744).
Local ordinances superseding state law: Detroit limits criminal-history screening, Ann Arbor regulates tenant screening and fees, and Grand Rapids limits application fees to actual screening costs.
Smoke and carbon monoxide detector requirements: Michigan requires owners to equip every Class A multiple dwelling unit with a smoke alarm that meets the state construction code. State law also lets that code require carbon monoxide devices near bedrooms, attached garages, and fuel-burning appliances in new and renovated homes.
State statutes don’t directly assign responsibility for checking alarm batteries, so landlords should work that out with renters and include the terms in the lease agreement (Mich. Comp. Laws § 125.482a, § 125.1504f).
Renters insurance requirements: Michigan doesn’t require renters insurance statewide or set a statutory coverage cap. Landlords may require tenants to obtain insurance coverage, provided that the provision doesn’t violate Michigan law or applicable discrimination protection.
Utility billing and submetering: Michigan doesn’t have a single statewide rule for Ratio Utility Billing systems or universal submetering, so the lease agreement should specify responsibility for individually metered and shared utilities.
Recent and pending statutory changes: Since April 2, 2025, landlords with five or more Michigan rental units may not discriminate against tenants based on source of income. Starting October 2, 2026, smoke alarms sold in Michigan must run on a sealed 10-year battery unless they’re hardwired or networked.
Senate Bill 253, on tenant water and sewer accounts, cleared committee in November 2025 and is still pending (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.601c, § 29.533).
Landlords and tenants can use these Michigan-specific resources to get up to speed on rental rules, court procedures, and Michigan renters’ rights:
Michigan landlord-tenant law is relatively landlord-friendly, with no rent-control laws and flexibility on lease terms. However, Michigan renters’ rights still cover habitability, notice before entry, and security deposits.
Michigan doesn’t require a specific notice period for landlord entry. For leaseholds covered by the Housing Law of Michigan, an owner must request and obtain permission before entering (except in an emergency).
A Michigan landlord typically has 30 days after occupancy ends to mail an itemized damage statement along with any remaining balance. Tenants have 4 days to provide a forwarding address in writing.
A landlord typically can’t change rent in the middle of a fixed-term lease, unless the agreement allows it. Michigan doesn’t have a separate statewide notice period for ordinary rent increases, so periodic-tenancy notice rules and the lease terms apply.
Based on the state’s tenant guide, a Michigan eviction notice runs 24 hours to 30 days, and trials are usually set within 7 to 14 days. Contested cases, adjournments, appeals, or court scheduling can extend that timeline considerably.
Michigan renters have rights involving habitable housing, lawful security-deposit handling, protection from discrimination and retaliation, privacy in covered rentals, and a court process before removal.
When selecting a tenant, Michigan landlords can typically review credit, criminal, eviction, and rental history. However, federal consumer-reporting and fair housing rules still apply, along with any local screening restrictions.
