Things landlords cannot do in Michigan

The Michigan Legislature assigns specific dollar consequences to many landlord missteps. Lockouts and mishandled deposits are common examples. So are prohibited lease clauses. A tenant may recover those amounts in court after meeting the conditions, deadlines, and proof requirements for the remedy. A landlord who knows where those lines sit stops paying for avoidable mistakes. The prohibitions below come from a handful of acts within Michigan landlord-tenant laws, and the Legislature assigns each one its own remedy.

What a landlord cannot do in Michigan: the short list

The list of what a landlord cannot do Michigan-wide is short, and each item traces to one statute:

• Force a tenant out, change the locks without handing over keys, cut heat or water, remove doors or belongings, or create a nuisance to push a tenant to leave. Only a court order followed by a court officer can remove a tenant, under MCL 600.2918.
• Demand a deposit larger than the Security Deposit Act allows, hold it without the required written notice, or keep any of it without a timely itemized list, under MCL 554.602 and MCL 554.609.
• Rent or keep a unit that is unfit for its intended use, out of reasonable repair, or out of compliance with state and local health and safety codes, under MCL 554.139.
• Put clauses in a lease that waive habitability, waive deposit rights, confess judgment, hand the landlord a power of attorney, or strip jury-trial and anti-lockout rights, under the Truth in Renting Act, MCL 554.633.
• Refuse, evict, or set different terms for a tenant because of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, or marital status, under the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, MCL 37.2502. The Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act and the federal Fair Housing Act separately prohibit disability discrimination.
• Reject an otherwise eligible applicant because rent would come from a Section 8 voucher or another lawful source, if the landlord owns five or more units in the state, under MCL 37.2502(3).
• Evict a tenant as punishment for a code complaint or for asserting a legal right, under MCL 600.5720.
• Change rent or any other lease term mid-lease without the tenant's written consent, outside the narrow pass-through exception in MCL 554.633(1)(l).

Prohibited acts and your remedy: statute-by-statute table

Courts may award tenants a fixed statutory minimum whether or not the tenant can prove a dollar of actual loss:

• Prohibited act | Statute | Tenant remedy or damages
• Forcible ejection, or keeping a tenant out by force | MCL 600.2918(1) | 3 times actual damages or $200, whichever is greater, plus recovery of possession
• Other unlawful interference (lock change without keys, utility shutoff, removing belongings, boarding, removing doors, nuisance) | MCL 600.2918(2) | Actual damages or $200, whichever is greater, for each occurrence, plus possession if lost
• Deposit above 1.5 months' rent, or lease clause waiving deposit rights | MCL 554.602; MCL 554.633(1)(b) | Parties cannot waive the cap; any lease clause waiving Security Deposit Act rights is void
• No itemized damages list mailed within 30 days after move-out | MCL 554.609; MCL 554.610 | The law deems the landlord to agree no damages are due and requires an immediate full refund
• No lawsuit filed or balance returned within 45 days after move-out | MCL 554.613 | Waiver of all claimed damages, plus liability for double the deposit retained
• Void lease clause left in place after a 20-day cure notice | MCL 554.633; MCL 554.636 | $250 or actual damages per action, whichever is greater; $500 or actual damages if a required provision is missing
• Unit unfit for use or not in reasonable repair | MCL 554.139 | Rent abatement under MCL 600.5741, repair-and-deduct, rent escrow, and a defense to eviction under MCL 600.5720
• Eviction filed within 90 days of a tenant's official code complaint | MCL 600.5720 | The court denies judgment for possession unless the landlord rebuts the retaliation presumption
• Discrimination, including source-of-income denial by a landlord with 5+ units | MCL 37.2502; MCL 554.601c | MCL 554.633(1)(c) voids discriminatory lease clauses; source-of-income violations carry damages up to 3 times monthly rent plus costs and attorney fees under MCL 554.601d

The anti-lockout remedies come with their own clock. MCL 600.2918(8) requires a tenant to file for possession within 90 days after the cause of action arises and to file for damages within 1 year. Under subsection (7), none of the section's protections can be waived by lease.

No self-help evictions: lockouts, utility shutoffs and removing belongings

A Michigan landlord cannot evict a tenant immediately, no matter how far behind the rent is or how badly the lease was breached. Every removal runs through district court, ends in a judgment for possession, and a bailiff, sheriff, deputy, or court officer carries it out under MCL 600.5744(1). In Grant v. Detroit Association of Women's Clubs, 443 Mich 596 (1993), the Michigan Supreme Court called MCL 600.2918 the "antilockout law," passed "in an effort to prevent landlords' self-help in executing evictions."

Subsection (2) of the statute names seven acts that count as unlawful interference with a tenant's possession:

• Using force or threatening force
• Removing, keeping, or destroying the tenant's personal property
• Changing, altering, or adding locks or security devices without immediately providing keys
• Boarding up the premises in a way that prevents or deters entry
• Removing doors, windows, or locks
• Terminating or interrupting heat, running water, hot water, electricity, or gas that the landlord has a duty to furnish
• Introducing noise, odor, or another nuisance

The damages tiers in the table above turn on force. In United Coin Meter Co. v. Lasala, 98 Mich App 238 (1980), the Court of Appeals held that "Treble damages are not justified as the statute was intended to apply to the use or threat of personal violence or force." A quiet lock change with no threat falls under subsection (2) and pays actual damages or the $200 floor per occurrence; a physical removal pays triple.

Subsection (3) carves out five situations where a landlord does not incur liability:

• The landlord acts under a court order.
• The landlord temporarily interferes with possession only as needed for lawful repairs or inspection.
• The landlord believes in good faith that the tenant abandoned the premises, makes a diligent inquiry that supports the belief that the tenant does not intend to return, and confirms that current rent remains unpaid.
• For a deceased tenant, the landlord previously told the tenant in writing about an emergency-contact option, current rent remains unpaid, and the landlord believes in good faith that the tenant has been dead at least 18 days. No probate estate can have opened within 28 days after the landlord posts notice on the door.
• The occupant took possession by forcible entry or trespass with no color of title.

Eviction notices and timelines: 7-day, 1-month and 24-hour notices

Any unpaid rent, in any amount, lets a landlord serve a 7-day demand for possession. MCL 554.134 sets no minimum arrears threshold, so a tenant one dollar short on the due date is technically exposed. The demand itself does not move anyone out. Under the Legislature's tenant-landlord guide, expiration of a notice only permits the landlord to file a lawsuit.

The "30-day notice" label is also slightly wrong for Michigan. MCL 554.134(1) says a tenancy at will or by sufferance ends on "1 month's notice," and Michigan Legal Help confirms that "The one month notice is a calendar month, not based on the number of days." Each notice type has its own statute and State Court Administrative Office form:

• Notice | Statute | Trigger and conditions | SCAO form
• 7-day demand, nonpayment | MCL 554.134(2); MCL 600.5714(1)(a) | Any rent due and unpaid; accelerated rent excluded | DC 100a
• 7-day demand, health hazard or damage | MCL 600.5714(1)(d) | Tenant willfully or negligently causes a serious, continuing health hazard or extensive, continuing physical damage; landlord must file within 90 days of discovery | DC 100b
• 7-day notice, violence or threats | MCL 600.5714(1)(e) | Tenant, household member, or guest caused or threatened physical injury on the property; the landlord must notify police; the rule does not apply when the victim is the tenant or a household member | DC 100c
• 1-month notice to quit | MCL 554.134(1); MCL 600.5714(1)(c) | Ending a month-to-month tenancy or terminating for lease violations; year-to-year tenancy requires 1 year's notice | DC 100c
• 24-hour notice, controlled substances | MCL 554.134(4); MCL 600.5714(1)(b) | Manufacture, delivery, or possession of a Schedule 1, 2, or 3 controlled substance on the premises; lease must contain a drug-termination clause and a formal police report must be on file | Written notice per statute
• Mobile home park termination | MCL 600.5775 | Just cause required; tenant may request an in-person conference within 10 days and has 90 days after judgment to sell or move the home | DC 100d

Under MCL 600.5718, a demand can be served by personal delivery, by delivery to a household member of suitable age with a request to pass it on, by first-class mail (dated the next regular mail-delivery day), or electronically only if the tenant consented in writing and replied electronically. The day of service does not count as day one, and if the last day lands on a weekend or court holiday, the period runs to the next court day.

Once the notice period ends without payment or move-out, the court process runs on fixed intervals:

1. File a complaint (DC 102a) and summons (DC 104) in the local district court. As of April 2025, the fee table shows $45 for a possession-only claim, $10 for electronic filing, $13 per defendant for the court's second-copy mailing, and $25 to $150 more if you also seek a money judgment.
2. The summons must set trial within 10 days of issuance, and the landlord must serve it at least 3 days before trial under MCL 600.5735(2)(b).
3. At the first hearing, the judge must advise both sides of the right to counsel, jury trial, mediation, rental assistance, and conditional dismissal. The current MCR 4.201 amendment took effect May 1, 2024. The earlier September 2023 order established rental-assistance stays, but those pandemic-era procedures are no longer in force. The court sets contested cases for trial within 7 to 14 days.
4. A tenant who pays everything owed before judgment avoids the judgment entirely.
5. After a judgment for possession (DC 105), MCL 600.5744(5) blocks a writ of restitution for 10 days. In nonpayment cases, paying the judgment amount plus taxed costs inside that window stops the writ under subsection (7). A court may issue the writ immediately only for units that it has ordered vacated under housing law, forcible or trespass entry, willful serious health hazards, or controlled-substance grounds.
6. The landlord must apply for the order of eviction (DC 107) within 56 days of judgment. Michigan Legal Help explains that the landlord must deliver the issued order for service within 7 days and execute it within 56 days. The court officer typically gives the tenant 24 hours' notice that the order exists before arriving.

What notice a Michigan landlord owes before entering

No Michigan statute sets a minimum notice period before a landlord enters an occupied rental. The 24-hour rule repeated across national landlord blogs does not appear anywhere in the Michigan Compiled Laws. The Truth in Renting Act regulates lease clauses but says nothing about entry, and MCL 554.139 governs repair, not access.

The default rule limits the landlord's entry rights. The Attorney General's practical guide states: "Unless the lease agreement provides otherwise, the landlord does not have a right to enter the rental unit." Michigan Legal Help puts it the same way: "Your landlord can't enter your home without permission except in an emergency."

Lease drafting establishes the 24-hour figure. The AG's guide recommends that the lease include "a requirement that the landlord provide reasonable notice to the tenant, such as 24 hours, before entering the unit." A lease with no entry clause leaves you no entry right at all outside an emergency, and a lease with a 24-hour clause binds you to 24 hours.

Behind the lease sits the covenant of quiet enjoyment. In Slatterly v. Madiol, 257 Mich App 242 (2003), the Court of Appeals held that the covenant "is only violated when the landlord interferes with, obstructs, or takes away from the tenant in a substantial degree the beneficial use of the leasehold." A single unannounced visit must substantially interfere with the tenant's beneficial use before it violates the covenant under Slatterly. A pattern of visits, or entries paired with pressure to leave, can also fall under MCL 600.2918(2)(g) as a nuisance.

Emergencies are the one universal exception. Michigan Legal Help gives the examples of "an urgent leak or a condition that's hazardous to neighbors," and MCL 600.2918(3)(b) protects temporary interference "only as necessary to make needed repairs or inspection and only as provided by law."

Security deposits: the 1.5-month cap, holding rules and 30-day return

MCL 554.602 caps the security deposit at 1.5 months' rent and requires that it be "required and maintained in accordance with the terms of this act." Under MCL 554.603, a landlord may not collect a deposit at all unless the tenant receives written notice within 14 days after taking possession. The notice must identify the landlord's name and address, the name and address of the financial institution or surety holding the deposit, and the tenant's duty to give a forwarding address within 4 days after moving out.

That forwarding-address warning must appear in 12-point boldface at least 4 points larger than the surrounding text. If the landlord skips the notice, the tenant no longer has a duty to provide a forwarding address.

Landlords who miss the 30-day deadline at move-out risk losing every deposit deduction. MCL 554.609 requires the landlord to mail an itemized list of damages within 30 days after occupancy ends, including the estimated repair cost for each item and the basis for each charge, together with a check or money order for any balance. The list cannot include damage already claimed on the previous tenant's termination checklist. It must also carry this statement in 12-point boldface: "You must respond to this notice by mail within 7 days after receipt of same, otherwise you will forfeit the amount claimed for damages."

The law treats missing the 30 days as an admission. MCL 554.610 says failure to comply "constitutes agreement by the landlord that no damages are due and he shall remit to the tenant immediately the full security deposit."

If the tenant disputes the list within 7 days, the landlord has one more deadline. MCL 554.613(1) allows a lawsuit for the claimed damages "Within 45 days after termination of the occupancy and not thereafter," or a return of the disputed balance, or a written settlement. Subsection (2) makes noncompliance a waiver of all claimed damages and "liable to the tenant for double the amount of the security deposit retained." Two exceptions favor the landlord: a tenant who never provides a forwarding address within 4 days relieves the landlord of the damages-notice duty under MCL 554.611, and a tenant who fails to respond within 7 days forfeits the disputed amount under MCL 554.612.

What counts as uninhabitable and how to use rent escrow

MCL 554.139(1) reads two covenants into every Michigan residential lease. Under (1)(a), the landlord promises "the premises and all common areas are fit for the use intended by the parties." Under (1)(b), the landlord promises to keep the premises "in reasonable repair during the term of the lease" and to comply with state and local health and safety laws, except where the tenant's willful or irresponsible conduct caused the problem. These covenants can be modified only in a lease with a current term of at least 1 year under subsection (2), and MCL 554.633(1)(a) voids any lease clause that waives the tenant's remedies for breaching them.

The statute never defines "reasonable repair." The Legislature's tenant-landlord guide describes it as a question of fact for the judge or jury, so the answer depends on evidence rather than a checklist. Two appellate cases mark the edges. In Allison v. AEW Capital Management, 481 Mich 419 (2008), the Supreme Court held that the fitness covenant reaches common areas such as parking lots while the repair covenant does not, and that any remedy for breach is a contract remedy with no independent tort claim. In Hadden v. McDermitt Apartments, 287 Mich App 124 (2010), the Court of Appeals let a jury decide whether black ice on a stairway made it unfit for its intended use, and rejected the "open and obvious" defense. The covenants run only to the tenant; Mullen v. Zerfas, 480 Mich 989 (2007), held that a social guest cannot sue on them.

A tenant who wants to withhold rent lawfully can use the following escrow steps that Michigan courts accept as a defense:

1. Give the landlord written notice of the defect and keep a dated copy. The repair-and-deduct remedy requires reasonable notice or the landlord's actual knowledge.
2. Consider reporting the condition to local code enforcement. An inspection report documents the defect and, as covered below, starts the 90-day retaliation protection.
3. Open a separate escrow account and deposit the full rent there each month when it falls due. The Canton practical guide and Michigan Legal Help instruct the tenant not to spend the funds.
4. Keep the amount withheld reasonably related to the repair cost, and be prepared to show that "but for the repair required, he or she was ready, willing, and able to pay the rent."
5. If the landlord files for nonpayment, raise the breach as a defense under MCL 600.5720 and ask for abatement under MCL 600.5741, which directs the judge or jury to "deduct any portion of the rent" excused by the landlord's breach of the statutory covenants.

Repair-and-deduct follows a similar path. After notice, the tenant pays for the repair and deducts the cost from rent, keeping receipts and proof of the requests to the landlord. In an eviction case, the tenant must show the repair was necessary, that they tried to get the landlord to do it, and what it cost.

A separate statutory escrow exists in cities that issue certificates of compliance. Under MCL 125.530, rent is suspended and paid into an account run by the enforcing agency for any period when the unit has no certificate or the certificate is suspended. A tenant who stops paying without depositing into that account loses the protection and can be sued for rent and possession.

Discrimination a landlord cannot commit

The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act protects ten classes in housing under MCL 37.2502(1): religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, and marital status. The Legislature added sexual orientation and gender identity or expression through 2023 PA 6, effective February 13, 2024. Age and marital status have no counterpart in federal law, and MCL 37.2505(1) voids any restriction on real property use based on the same ten classes. ELCRA's employment article includes height and weight; its housing article omits them.

Disability sits in a different statute. The Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act makes housing without disability discrimination a civil right under MCL 37.1102(1), bars discrimination "on the basis of a disability of a buyer or renter" that is "unrelated to the individual's ability to acquire, rent, or maintain property" under MCL 37.1502, and requires reasonable accommodations while permitting reasonable modifications at the tenant's expense under MCL 37.1506a. MCL 37.1503 exempts owner-occupied buildings with fewer than two rental units and owner-occupied single-room rentals.

The federal Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604, covers seven classes: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. HUD's February 11, 2021 memorandum treats sexual orientation and gender identity as sex discrimination for enforcement, though neither appears in the statutory text.

Source of income became a statewide protected class on April 2, 2025, through MCL 37.2502(3) (2024 PA 180) and MCL 554.601c (2024 PA 178 and 179). A landlord cannot deny or terminate a tenancy, make a unit unavailable, or advertise a preference based on an otherwise eligible tenant's source of income, and when applying an income threshold, cannot exclude a rent voucher or subsidy from the calculation. The definition covers 42 USC 1437f Housing Choice Vouchers, public assistance, veterans' benefits, Social Security, and other retirement programs. The first successful local case, Morse v. Wilson White, settled in April 2025 under Ann Arbor's ordinance with the landlord required to accept vouchers, train staff, and update rental materials.

Landlords in Michigan who own fewer than five rental units statewide, counting every related entity, are exempt from the source-of-income rule under MCL 37.2502(4). That exemption covers nothing else in ELCRA.

Assistance animals are not pets, and a landlord cannot treat them as pets. HUD's FHEO Notice FHEO-2020-01 states: "A housing provider may not charge a deposit, fee, or surcharge for an assistance animal." The notice covers both trained service animals and emotional support animals, and Michigan applies the same rule through the PWDCRA accommodation duty.

A landlord may "charge a tenant for damage an assistance animal causes if it is the provider's usual practice to charge for damage caused by tenants," according to the same notice. The Michigan Department of Civil Rights assistance-animal FAQ adds that extra cleaning fees for hair or dander are not allowed.

When the disability or need is not obvious, a landlord may ask what work the animal does and request a doctor's note for an emotional support animal. HUD prohibits demanding a specific form, a notarized statement, a statement under penalty of perjury, or a diagnosis.

Michigan Legal Help notes one exception: a landlord who lives in the building and rents fewer than four units there does not have to accommodate. A landlord may refuse or remove an animal that is out of control or not house-trained. The landlord may also act when that specific animal poses a real threat. The landlord must base the decision on that animal's conduct. Breed or size alone cannot support it.

Retaliation, rent increases, late fees and illegal lease clauses

A Michigan landlord cannot evict a tenant for complaining to a code inspector, joining a tenant organization, or trying to enforce a lease or legal right. MCL 600.5720(1) bars a judgment for possession when the eviction "was intended primarily as a penalty" for those acts, or for the landlord's attempt to raise the tenant's obligations as a penalty.

The 90-day presumption in subsection (2) does the real work. If the tenant raised a complaint through official action, meaning a court or government agency, within 90 days before the landlord filed, and that complaint has not been dismissed or denied, the court presumes retaliation and the landlord must prove otherwise by a preponderance of the evidence.

Complaints older than 90 days flip the presumption against the tenant. A complaint also triggers that adverse presumption if a court or agency rejected it. In Frenchtown Villa v. Meadors, 117 Mich App 683 (1982), the Court of Appeals held the defense unavailable when a fixed-term lease expires, though the Michigan Supreme Court has since signaled reconsideration for leases that would roll to month-to-month absent the landlord's notice.

Mid-term rent increases are illegal without written consent. MCL 554.633(1)(l) voids any clause letting the landlord unilaterally alter a lease provision after commencement. The statute allows one exception on 30 days' notice: changes required by law, changes protecting health, safety, or peaceful enjoyment, and rent changes covering increases in taxes, utilities, water, sewer, or insurance premiums. Outside the lease term, Michigan caps nothing. MCL 123.411(2), enacted as Public Act 226 of 1988, forbids any local ordinance "controlling the amount of rent charged for leasing private residential property," with exceptions for property the city owns and for voluntary affordability incentives. HB 4009, introduced January 14, 2025, would repeal the preemption; it sat in the Committee on Government Operations with no floor vote as of September 2026.

Late fees have no statutory cap, but courts police them as liquidated damages. The Legislature's guide states the fee "must be reasonable and proportionate to the actual damages suffered as a result of the late payment." Under Curtis v. Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co., 335 Mich 416 (1953), the landlord bears the burden of proving the amount is reasonable, and Federal Electric Co. v. National Service Stations, 255 Mich 425 (1931), treats a clause that charges the same fee for several different breaches as unenforceable. A court can also refuse to enforce an unconscionable clause under MCL 440.2808. SB 373, reported favorably September 9, 2025, would require at least one fee-free rent payment method but does not cap late fees.

The Truth in Renting Act voids fourteen categories of lease clause under MCL 554.633(1), and the ones most often found in downloaded lease templates include:

• A confession of judgment by either party, under (1)(d)
• A requirement that the tenant give the landlord a power of attorney, under (1)(n)
• A clause excusing the landlord from liability for failing to perform a legal duty, under (1)(e), with one exception for fire or casualty loss provisions where insurance is carried and subrogation rights are waived
• Attorney's fees beyond what a statute specifically permits, under (1)(g)
• A security interest in the tenant's belongings to secure rent, under (1)(h)
• Rent acceleration on breach without stating the landlord's duty to mitigate and either party's right to have a court set the actual amount, under (1)(i)
• Any release from the duty to mitigate damages, under (1)(k)
• Any clause a published Michigan or U.S. Supreme Court decision declared unenforceable at least 90 days before the lease was signed, under subsection (2)

The casualty-loss carve-out in (1)(e) assumes you carry a policy on the structure, which is one reason a lease review and a look at your landlord insurance in Michigan belong on the same checklist. Get a quote in minutes at quote.steadily.com without a phone call.

Every lease must also carry the disclosure in MCL 554.634, in type no smaller than 12 point: "NOTICE: Michigan law establishes rights and obligations for parties to rental agreements. This agreement is required to comply with the Truth in Renting Act. If you have a question about the interpretation or legality of a provision of this agreement, you may want to seek assistance from a lawyer or other qualified person." The lease must state a name and address where the landlord can receive notice. A landlord who gets written notice of a prohibited clause has 20 days under MCL 554.635 to tell all current tenants the clause is void or has been fixed; the damages in the table above apply only after that cure window closes.

Move-in and move-out inventory checklists

MCL 554.608 requires the landlord to hand the tenant two blank copies of a commencement inventory checklist at move-in, on a form identical to the termination checklist used at move-out. The checklist must cover every landlord-owned item, including carpeting, draperies, appliances, windows, furniture, walls, closets, shelves, paint, doors, plumbing fixtures, and electrical fixtures. At the top of the first page, in 12-point boldface, it must read: "You should complete this checklist, noting the condition of the rental property, and return it to the landlord within 7 days after obtaining possession of the rental unit. You are also entitled to request and receive a copy of the last termination inventory checklist which shows what claims were chargeable to the last prior tenants."

The tenant returns one completed copy within 7 days. At move-out, the landlord completes a termination checklist listing every damage claimed against the tenant.

Skipping the checklist weakens every deposit deduction that follows. Without a signed move-in record, a landlord cannot prove the scratched floor was not already scratched, and MCL 554.609 bars charging for anything listed on the prior tenant's termination checklist. In Tree City Properties LLC v. Perkey, 327 Mich App 244 (2019), the Court of Appeals clarified the penalty: a checklist failure by itself does not trigger the double-deposit penalty; that penalty attaches to missing the 45-day suit-or-refund deadline in MCL 554.613(1). The checklist failure still leaves the landlord with no evidence when the tenant disputes the list.

If your landlord breaks the law: complaints, district court and local rules

Take a Detroit tenant whose furnace quits in January. She emails the landlord twice and keeps both messages. Nothing happens, so she calls the Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department, which inspects and cites the unit. She opens a separate savings account and deposits February's rent there in full. The landlord responds with a one-month notice to quit and files in the 36th District Court in March. Because her code complaint was official action within 90 days of the filing and has not been dismissed, MCL 600.5720(2) presumes retaliation, and the landlord must rebut it. The court also asks for the property's certificate of compliance, which the landlord cannot produce.

That last step is the municipal layer. Michigan's four largest college and metro rental markets each add registration, inspection, and certificate requirements on top of state law, and losing a certificate opens the door to statutory escrow and weakens any eviction case:

• City | Registration and certificate | Inspection cycle | Penalties | Lockout and court notes
• Detroit | Free registration required for all rentals except owner-occupied single-family; certificate of compliance valid 3 years under Ordinance 2024-47 | At least annually, plus complaint-driven inspections | $250 to $1,150 for no certificate; $250 to $650 for failure to register; BSEED tickets start at $400 and unpaid tickets can become liens | Tenants without a certificate may pay rent into escrow, with a 120-day evaluation period; the 36th District Court asks for the certificate at filing and only its court officers execute evictions
• Ann Arbor | Registration through the STREAM portal; certificate valid 2.5 years, or 3.5 years if the unit passes on first inspection (Chapter 105) | Every 30 months; initial inspection $175 per unit for 1- and 2-family homes | Minimum $200 fine after 10 days' notice for renting without a certificate | Ordinance states lack of a certificate 'will not justify the removal of a tenant without court action'; Ordinance 24-03 bars showing the unit until 150 days before lease end and bars signing a new tenant until 210 days into the current lease
• Grand Rapids | Free annual registration; vacant units must register within 15 days; certificate lasts 2, 4, or 6 years based on compliance history | Based on the 2012 IPMC with local amendments; tenants get at least 48 hours' notice before inspection | Minor violations carry a 14-day verbal deadline; formal notices carry 60- or 120-day deadlines | Only a sheriff, deputy, or bailiff may remove a tenant after an order; landlord-tenant cases go to the 63rd District Court
• East Lansing | Rental license required; current initial license fee $1,860 per the city license page; city lease addendum required in every lease | Every 13 months under the March 2026 strategic plan draft | Unlicensed rental or over-occupancy fines up to $1,000 per day, per owner and per tenant, each day a separate offense | State anti-lockout law applies; proposed Chapter 7 rules from February 2026 were not yet finally adopted as of September 2026

Outside those cities, the venue rules are the same everywhere. District court handles possession cases and deposit disputes. A tenant seeking an injunction against a lockout under MCL 600.2918(6) files in circuit court, and source-of-income suits under MCL 554.601d also go to circuit court. Tenants who want the full inventory of protections can start with this guide to tenant rights in Michigan, and landlords who want to avoid the district court docket can start by pulling their lease against the MCL 554.633 list above.

FAQ

These answers restate the rules above in the form readers most often search for.

Can a landlord evict you immediately in Michigan?

The fastest lawful path is a 24-hour notice for controlled-substance activity, and even that requires a lease clause, a police report, a district court complaint, a judgment, and a court officer to carry out the order. For nonpayment, the minimum runs 7 days of notice, a summons set within 10 days, a 10-day wait after judgment, and then service of the order of eviction.

How far behind on rent do you have to be before eviction in Michigan?

Any amount of unpaid rent allows a 7-day demand for possession under MCL 554.134(2) and MCL 600.5714(1)(a). Michigan sets no minimum dollar threshold. The tenant can still stop the case by paying everything owed before judgment, or by paying the judgment amount plus costs within the 10-day window after judgment.

Does Michigan have a no-touch law for landlords?

No statute by that name exists, but MCL 600.2918 does the same work. It forbids force or threats of force, removing or destroying a tenant's belongings, and every other listed form of interference with possession. A landlord who physically removes a tenant faces triple damages. A landlord who quietly changes the locks or removes belongings owes actual damages or $200 per occurrence, whichever is greater, plus restoration of possession if possession was lost.

Can a landlord shut off water or electricity in Michigan?

MCL 600.2918(2)(f) lists termination or interruption of heat, running water, hot water, electricity, or gas the landlord has a duty to furnish as unlawful interference, with a floor of $200 per occurrence. The only safe harbors are a court order or a temporary interruption needed for lawful repairs or inspection.

Can I withhold rent in Michigan and put it in escrow?

Yes, with conditions. Give written notice of the defect, consider reporting it to code enforcement, deposit the full rent into a separate account each month, do not spend it, and keep the amount tied to the repair cost. In cities that issue certificates of compliance, MCL 125.530 also lets you pay rent into the enforcing agency's escrow account whenever the unit lacks a valid certificate. Rent kept in a checking account and spent is not escrow, and a court will treat it as nonpayment.

Can I sue my landlord in Michigan, and what can I recover?

Yes, mostly in district court, and the recoverable amounts are written into the statutes: 3 times actual damages or $200 for a forcible lockout; $200 or actual damages per occurrence for other interference; double the deposit retained when a landlord misses the 45-day suit-or-refund deadline; $250 or $500 per violation under the Truth in Renting Act after a failed cure; and up to 3 times monthly rent plus costs and attorney fees for a source-of-income denial by a landlord with five or more units. Under Allison, tenants can pursue contract remedies for rent abatement or repair costs when a unit is unfit; the decision bars an independent tort claim.