Your Michigan security deposit demand letter

November 4, 2026

VIA CERTIFIED MAIL — RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

Dear Property Manager:

I rented the premises at 77 Rented Avenue, Springfield from you. My tenancy ended and I moved out on August 26, 2026. I paid a security deposit of $2,400.00.

You have returned $700.00 of that deposit. $1,700.00 remains unreturned.

Under MCL 554.609, 554.610, 554.613 (Act 348 of 1972), you were required to return the deposit and an itemized statement of any deductions no later than September 25, 2026 — 30 calendar days after the date your occupancy ended. That date passed 40 days ago, and I have received no payment of the balance.

You did not give me a written, itemized statement of the deductions you are keeping, although MCL 554.609, 554.610, 554.613 (Act 348 of 1972) requires one.

1. The amount I am asking you to return

The deposit I paid was $2,400.00. You returned $700.00. The balance I am asking you to return is $1,700.00.

2. What the statute says

The rule that applies is MCL 554.609, 554.610, 554.613 (Act 348 of 1972). The state's official source for it is listed for this state on locafact.com, and the fragments below are quoted from the statute text captured for this letter.

The statute describes the deductions a landlord may make as follows: Within 30 days after the termination of occupancy the landlord must mail the tenant a notice of damages containing an itemized list of the damages claimed, including the estimated cost of repair of each damaged item and the amounts and bases on which the landlord intends to assess the tenant. The notice must be accompanied by a check or money order for the difference between the damages claimed and the deposit held (or, where the landlord transmits by direct deposit or electronic transfer, the amount must be deposited within 10 days after mailing the notice) and may not include damages already claimed on the pre-move-in termination inventory checklist. The notice must carry the statutory 12-point boldface statement telling the tenant to respond by mail within 7 days. The landlord may not retain any part of the deposit for damages unless it first obtains a money judgment or one of the MCL 554.613(1) exceptions applies (tenant gave no forwarding address, tenant did not respond to the notice, written agreement, or the claim is entirely unpaid rent). Failure to give the notice within 30 days constitutes agreement that no damages are due and requires immediate remittance of the full deposit (MCL 554.610).

The deadline is measured in calendar days: 30 calendar days after the date your occupancy ended, which for the dates above is September 25, 2026.

“In case of damage to the rental unit or other obligation against the security deposit, the landlord shall mail to the tenant, within 30 days after the termination of occupancy, a notice of damages that contains an itemized list of damages claimed for which the security deposit may be used as provided in section 7, including the estimated cost of repair of each damaged property item and the amounts and bases on which the landlord intends to assess the tenant.”

“Except as otherwise provided in subsection (3), the notice of damages must be accompanied by a check or money order for the difference between the damages claimed and the amount of the security deposit held by the landlord and must not include any damages that were claimed on a previous termination inventory checklist prior to the tenant's occupancy of the rental unit.”

“Within 45 days after termination of the occupancy and not thereafter the landlord may commence an action in a court of competent jurisdiction for a money judgment for damages which he has claimed or in lieu thereof return the balance of the security deposit held by him to the tenant or any amount mutually agreed upon in writing by the parties.”

“Failure of the landlord to comply fully with this section constitutes waiver of all claimed damages and makes him liable to the tenant for double the amount of the security deposit retained.”

3. What the statute adds if the deposit is not returned

Because if the condition the statute sets out is met, MCL 554.609, 554.610, 554.613 (Act 348 of 1972) may also allow amounts above the unreturned balance:

• 2× the amount due to the tenant (the amount above the unreturned balance): $1,700.00

• the landlord also forfeits any right to retain any portion of the deposit

On the figures above, that is up to $1,700.00 in addition to the $1,700.00 unreturned balance — a possible total of up to $3,400.00. These amounts are not owed unless the condition the statute sets out is established; they are stated as the possible exposure, not as a demand.

4. What I am asking you to do

Please pay me $1,700.00 within ten (10) days of the date of this letter.

A check payable to me can be sent to the address at the top of this letter. If you believe some part of the deposit was properly kept, send me an itemized statement with the receipts or invoices for each amount.

If I do not receive payment or a written response within that time, I will consider filing a claim in small claims court for the unreturned deposit and any amount the statute allows, and I will keep this letter and the certified-mail record as evidence.

This is a self-help document, not legal advice, and no outcome is guaranteed.