Michigan security deposit demand letter
Ask for your deposit with the Michigan law behind your request. Download the free PDF or Word template, or fill in your dates and figures below.
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Before sending in Michigan
Received a damage notice? Check the seven-day response rule
If you receive a compliant damage notice, Michigan requires a detailed response by ordinary mail within seven days. The mailing date counts as the response date.
What records should support deductions?
Estimated repair costs per item are required at the 30-day stage (not receipts); move-in/move-out inventory checklists under § 554.608 fix the condition baseline.
Example: Two damage charges, two specific objections
Sample Michigan situation
- A properly issued damage notice lists $300 for a wall repair and $150 for cleaning. Your move-in checklist records the wall damage; your departure photos show the cleaning you completed.
- You disagree with both entries and have just received the notice.
Your next step: Use "Dispute deductions" and explain each entry with its supporting record. Respond by ordinary mail to the supplied landlord address within 7 days after receipt. A general request for your money, or a later payment deadline in your letter, does not replace that detailed response.
Michigan Legislature: deposit dispute timeline ↗Make the free template yours.
Choose your situation, then add your figures. No account or payment. Unfilled details stay in brackets for you to edit.
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[Your name] [Your current mailing address] [Date] [Landlord or property manager name] [Address designated for notices] SENT VIA CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED RE: Request for return of security deposit - [rental property address] Dear [Landlord]: I vacated the property on [move-out date] and paid a security deposit of $[deposit amount]. Under Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.609: Within 30 days after termination of occupancy the landlord must mail an itemized list of claimed damages together with a check for the balance (§ 554.609); no list in 30 days concedes no damages and the full deposit is due. REQUEST Please return $[amount requested] of my deposit to the mailing address above. Please explain any deductions you maintain and provide the itemized statement and supporting records required by the applicable law. If the statutory conditions are met, under Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.613(2), retaining my deposit without commencing a court action within 45 days makes you liable for double the amount of the deposit retained. Please respond by [response date after any required notice or cure period]. This requested date does not shorten any applicable statutory notice or cure period. If this remains unresolved after the applicable requirements are satisfied, I intend to pursue the remedies available in small claims court. Sincerely, [Your signature] Enclosures: [List the records you are actually attaching.]
Review your dates and the records behind each charge before signing. The free analysis can help you assess disputed deductions and possible additional recovery.
From a blank request to a documented demand
See what your case documents add.
The free editor fills in your facts. The analysis reviews your charges and applicable rules; your paid case documents bring together the letter, damages summary and organized evidence checklist.
One charge, made specific.
Michigan example: repainting ordinary wall scuffs, $900. The example assumes the tenancy is covered by the cited law; no tenant result is implied.
A starting request
I disagree with the $900 charge for repainting ordinary wall scuffs. Please return that amount.
The free editor lets you add your own reasons and records.
In the generated letter
Ordinary wear and tear - not deductible. Repainting after a tenancy is ordinary wear and tear unless the walls were damaged beyond normal use (large holes, unauthorized colors). Dated move-in and move-out photos help distinguish ordinary wear from tenant-caused damage.
Records to attach: move-in photos and move-out photos.
State-law reference: Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 554.609, 554.613 ↗The amount stays tied to the facts: $1,100 withheld - $200 in accepted charges = $900 disputed in this sample.
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See the actual PDF pages
Open PDF to zoom ↗Sample Michigan case. Letter and exhibit pages extracted from a generated case PDF. Your letter uses your own facts and state law.
Read the complete Michigan sample letter
Fictional Michigan case. Generated sample, not a court outcome or a substitute for your own letter.
Maya Patel (fictional tenant)
[Fictional current mailing address]
August 14, 2026
Daniel Reed (fictional landlord)
[Fictional landlord mailing address]
SENT VIA ORDINARY MAIL
RE: Demand for return of security deposit - [Fictional Michigan rental address]
Dear Daniel Reed (fictional landlord):
I vacated the above rental property on August 01, 2026 and paid a security deposit of $2,000.00. Under Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.609 (Michigan Security Deposit Law), the applicable return rule is: Within 30 days after termination of occupancy the landlord must mail an itemized list of claimed damages together with a check for the balance (§ 554.609); no list in 30 days concedes no damages and the full deposit is due.
DISPUTED DEDUCTIONS
I dispute the following deductions under Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.609 for the reasons below. Please provide the records supporting each disputed charge, including the work, cost, and condition at issue. For replacement charges, explain the item's age and how you calculated the amount charged:
• Repainting ordinary wall scuffs - $900.00
Ordinary wear and tear - not deductible. Repainting after a tenancy is ordinary wear and tear unless the walls were damaged beyond normal use (large holes, unauthorized colors). Dated move-in and move-out photos help distinguish ordinary wear from tenant-caused damage.
I do not contest the following deductions, totaling $200.00: Unpaid rent balance ($200.00).
This demand does not cancel any accepted debt. Any separate claim or counterclaim must credit amounts already paid or retained toward that debt.
DEMAND
I demand payment of $900.00, the amount improperly withheld from my deposit.
This demand is limited to the amount improperly withheld. The applicable statutory remedy is conditional: under Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.613(2), retaining my deposit without commencing a court action within 45 days makes you liable for double the amount of the deposit retained. I reserve the right to seek that remedy if its conditions are established in court.
Please deliver payment to the address above no later than August 28, 2026 (14 days from the date of this letter). This requested date does not shorten any statutory notice or cure period. If this remains unresolved after the applicable notice, service and waiting requirements are satisfied, I intend to file suit in small claims court. I have retained dated photographs of the property's condition, the lease, our correspondence, your itemized statement, the repair receipts you provided, and this demand letter.
Sincerely,
Maya Patel (fictional tenant)
Enclosures: Evidence exhibit listSend it with a record you can use.
For a damage-notice response, use ordinary mail and address each charge. If no notice arrived, send your deposit demand with a delivery record, such as certified mail with return receipt. Keep your forwarding-address notice and inventory checklist.
Michigan Legislature: tenant and landlord guide ↗What happens after sending?
If you received a compliant damage notice, do not let negotiations delay your written response. Without a notice, track your demand and any reply instead. The landlord's 45-day court-action rule has exceptions; check those before claiming automatic repayment.
They refund some or all of it
Save the payment record and update what remains disputed. Read any settlement or release before agreeing to it.
They reject the request or explain the deductions
Match each explanation to your lease and condition records. Reply with the specific amounts and reasons still disputed.
The letter comes back or nobody responds
Keep the envelope or tracking record. Check the address and required service method before using the Michigan filing guide. Attempted delivery may not complete statutory service.
Frequently asked questions
Which return deadline should my Michigan letter refer to?
Within 30 days after termination of occupancy the landlord must mail an itemized list of claimed damages together with a check for the balance (§ 554.609); no list in 30 days concedes no damages and the full deposit is due. Missing the 30-day itemization/return means the full deposit is due. If the tenant disputes within 7 days, the landlord may keep disputed amounts only by winning a money judgment and must sue within 45 days of move-out - failure 'constitutes waiver of all claimed damages and makes him liable to the tenant for double the amount of the security deposit retained' (§ 554.613(2)).
What penalties does Michigan law allow if the withholding was wrongful?
MCL 554.613 provides double the deposit retained for failure to comply with that section. Evaluate the damage notice, tenant response, 45-day filing requirement and its exceptions separately. The four-day forwarding-address duty depends on the disclosure required by MCL 554.603. The rent-only filing exception covers qualifying accrued unpaid rent, not utility charges.
What happens if the landlord ignores the letter?
You can file in small claims court (limit: $7,000; filing fees $30-$70 depending on claim size). Check required notices, filing deadlines and the court's rules before filing.
Michigan filing steps and court forms →