Michigan Legal Help explains notices, damages lists, deadlines, and tenant options.
Small Claims Edition · A♦
Your landlord kept your deposit. Let's get it back.
Start with official information about your deadlines and options. If a letter doesn't resolve the dispute, learn about small claims and seek help.
Help you can use now · Michigan
Official information, forms, and real help.
Security-deposit deadlines and remedies depend on notices and the facts. Read the official guide promptly and keep copies of your written correspondence.
Find DC 84 and its instructions if small claims is appropriate. Use the official guide to check your options before choosing a form.
Use Michigan Legal Help’s finder for legal aid, clinics, and lawyer options. Eligibility and availability are determined by each provider.
Links checked November 2, 2026. These organizations are independent; listing them does not imply partnership or endorsement. Unshaken does not prepare or file court forms.
Your rights in Michigan, in plain words
- You give your forwarding address in writing within 4 days of moving out.
- Your landlord then has 30 days to return the deposit or mail you an itemized list of damages.
- You have 7 days to answer that list in writing if you disagree.
- If the landlord misses the 30-day list, the law generally treats that as agreeing no damages are owed.
- A landlord who wrongly keeps a deposit may owe up to double the amount withheld.
Check the current Michigan Security Deposit Act for exact rules; other states differ.
What to do, in order
- 1
Find your lease, move-out photos, receipts and messages.
- 2
Send a demand letter with the amount, the law and a deadline. Many deposits come back at this step.
- 3
No answer? File in small claims. Michigan's limit is $7,000, and filing fees run about $30–70.
- 4
Serve the landlord by certified mail or a court officer.
- 5
Prepare and practice your two-minute story and your evidence.
- 6
Collect if you win and they still don't pay.
Don't
- Don't miss the 7-day window to answer a damages list.
- Don't rely on phone calls; put it in writing.
- Don't throw away move-out photos or receipts.
Planned practice · Join the waitlist
Your landlord says you wrecked the carpet. The judge wants your side in two minutes. Practice it.
The planned small claims courtroom would use an AI judge to ask what you did at move-out and what proof you have, and an AI landlord pushes back. You answer out loud against a clock, then get a ruling and a debrief.
This edition is not playable on this website yet. Features and access arrangements may change.
A cartoon landlord is a practice opponent—not your actual landlord.
FAQ
- Is it worth suing over a deposit?
- That depends on your evidence, the rules, costs, and collection prospects. Consult the official deposit guide or a lawyer. There is no automated assessment here.
- Can I bring a lawyer?
- In Michigan small claims, lawyers can't take part. You present your own case.
- What if I didn't send a forwarding address?
- You may still have a claim, but the 30-day rule may not apply. Check the official guide or seek legal advice about your circumstances.
Be ready when Unshaken launches.
General information and practice, not legal advice. Legal details reflect Michigan; other states differ.
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