Pet deposit and pet fee law in Michigan: the one-and-a-half-month cap and the notice of damages
Michigan's landlord-tenant act says a landlord may require a security deposit for each rental unit and that it may not exceed one and a half months' rent. The act does not name pets, so any refundable pet deposit has to be planned inside that single ceiling. When there is damage, the landlord must mail an itemized notice of damages, with estimated repair costs, within 30 days after the occupancy ends.
What is the Michigan deposit limit?
Section 2 of Act 348 of 1972, MCL 554.602, reads in full that a landlord may require a security deposit for each rental unit, that it shall be required and maintained in accordance with the act, and that it shall not exceed 1 1/2 months' rent. The statute speaks of "a security deposit" for the unit. It does not carve out room for a second, pet-specific deposit, and I found no pet provision in the section I read.
The cautious reading is that money held to secure the tenant's performance, however you label it, belongs under the cap. If your base deposit is already one and a half months, you have no room for a pet deposit. A landlord who wants pet income can lower the base deposit and take the pet deposit within the total, or charge pet rent as part of rent, with the lease saying so.
How do deductions work after move-out?
Section 554.609 says that for damage to the rental unit or another obligation against the deposit, the landlord must mail the tenant, within 30 days after the termination of occupancy, a notice of damages with 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 and the deposit, and it may not include damages already claimed on a previous termination inventory checklist from before the tenant's occupancy.
There is an electronic option: the notice may instead be accompanied by a transfer of the difference to the tenant's bank account or an internet or mobile payment account, deposited within 10 days after mailing the notice. That is the text as I read it; confirm the current wording before you rely on it.
Example a made-up tenant ends occupancy on Friday, December 4, 2026. The itemized notice of damages must be mailed by Sunday, January 3, 2027. A pet-scratched door appears on the list with a repair estimate, such as a quote from a contractor dated December 10, but a worn spot already marked on the move-in checklist must be left off.
What about assistance animals?
Michigan's deposit act does not decide this, so federal fair housing law governs. Under 24 CFR 100.204 a housing provider may not refuse reasonable accommodations in rules and policies when they are needed for equal use of a dwelling, and the regulation's own first example is a blind applicant with a seeing eye dog in a no-pets building. Waive pet deposits, pet fees and pet rent for an approved assistance animal. Damage the animal causes is still handled by the notice of damages above.
- List the move-in condition in writing and have the tenant sign it, because an old defect cannot be charged later.
- Get a repair estimate for each item before the 30 days run out.
- Keep the total of every deposit within one and a half months of rent.
- Mail the notice; the clock runs from the end of occupancy, not from key return.
Where does DoorKeeping fit?
DoorKeeping keeps the lease, the pet addendum, the move-in photos and the rent ledger together, so the purpose of each charge and the condition of the unit on the first day are on file when you itemize a deduction. You decide what to charge and what to keep. This is general information, not legal advice: check the current statute, and ask a local attorney if a charge is disputed.
Sources
- MCL 554.602, Security deposit; amount (Michigan Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026
- MCL 554.609, Notice of damages (Michigan Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026
- 24 CFR 100.204, Reasonable accommodations (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations), read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- What is the Michigan security deposit cap?
- 1 1/2 months' rent (MCL 554.602).
- How long does a Michigan landlord have to send the notice of damages?
- Within 30 days after the termination of occupancy (MCL 554.609).
- Can a Michigan landlord charge extra for a pet?
- The act does not name pets; any refundable pet deposit should be kept inside the one and a half month cap.