Legal Checklist — Michigan

The landlord rules that carry deadlines, in plain words, in the order they come up. The law book section is named on every line so anyone can look it up.

Before move-in

• Lead-paint disclosure for older homes For a home built before 1978: give the tenant the lead disclosure form and the EPA booklet “Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home” before the tenant is bound by the lease. Keep the signed form at least 3 years. Law: 40 CFR 745.113 (and 42 USC 4852d)
• Do not refuse lawful income You may not turn a tenant away because their income is lawful help — a rent voucher, Social Security, disability pay. That income counts toward any income requirement. Applies to landlords with 5 or more units. Law: MCL 554.601c

At move-in

• Security deposit: no more than 1½ months' rent The deposit — plus any refundable fees and rent prepaid past the first month — may not add up to more than one and a half months' rent. Law: MCL 554.602
• Send the move-in notice within 14 days A written notice with: your name and address (or your agent's), and the name and address of the bank where the deposit is held — or the bond company if deposits are bonded instead. Deadline: within 14 days after the tenant moves in. If this notice is not given, the tenant does not owe the forwarding-address duty below. Law: MCL 554.603; deposit holding: MCL 554.604
• Inventory checklist: 2 copies out, 1 back in 7 days Give the tenant 2 blank checklists at move-in. The tenant fills one in and returns it within 7 days. The same form is used again at move-out. Law: MCL 554.608
• The lease must carry the Truth in Renting notices Every lease must include the state's notice to tenants, and must say the name and address where notice to the landlord is to be given. Certain lease clauses are banned outright — waiving the tenant's legal rights is one of them. Law: MCL 554.634 (notices); MCL 554.633 (banned clauses)
• At least one fee-free way to pay rent The tenant must always have at least one way to pay with no fee charged — for example, check or money order. Any other method's fee must be told to the tenant in writing ahead of time. In force since September 21, 2026. Law: MCL 554.633(1)(o), added by 2026 PA 103

During the tenancy

• Keep the home fit and in reasonable repair The home and shared areas must stay fit for living, in reasonable repair, and in line with state and local health and safety laws — damage the tenant caused is the exception. Law: MCL 554.139
• Smoke alarms where the law requires them Owners of homes built before November 6, 1974 must install smoke alarms, and each unit of a larger apartment building covered by the Housing Law must have a working smoke alarm. Write the building's age in the property file so you know which rule fits. Law: MCL 125.1504c; MCL 125.482a
• Never lock a tenant out yourself No lockouts, no shutting off utilities, no removing a tenant's belongings to force them out. Possession comes only through the court. Breaking this can cost three times the tenant's actual damages. Law: MCL 600.2918

After move-out

• Tenant's forwarding address — due in 4 days The tenant must give you a forwarding address in writing within 4 days after moving out. (This duty applies when you sent the move-in notice on time — see above.) Law: MCL 554.611
• Notice of Damages — mail it within 30 days Mail the itemized list of damages and the deposit balance to the tenant within 30 days after move-out. Email is not enough — this one must be mailed. The notice must carry the law's own words telling the tenant to answer by mail within 7 days or lose the amount claimed. Law: MCL 554.609; tenant's answer: MCL 554.612
• 45 days: sue, agree, or return the balance Within 45 days after move-out, you must sue for any disputed damages, reach a written agreement, or return the rest of the deposit. Missing this can mean paying back double the amount wrongfully kept. Law: MCL 554.613

Local rules — Sault Ste. Marie & Chippewa County

• Register every rental with the city — every year The City of Sault Ste. Marie runs an annual rental registration program: $10 per address, per year. Late fees climb fast — $25, then $100 after 45 days, and $250 for a first registration more than 45 days late. Calendar the renewal and keep the registration in the property file. Law: City Code Ch. 8; Building Department Fee Schedule
• The city inspects registered rentals The city checks registered rentals against its Rental Check-List and charges $100 for each violation found. The checklist in this dashboard does not replace the city's inspection. Law: Building Department Fee Schedule (Rental Check-List)
• No more than two unrelated people in one unit City zoning defines a “family” as a single housekeeping unit with not more than two people who are not related to the household. A lease that lets more unrelated people live in one unit can break the zoning rules — check the property's district first. Law: City Zoning Ordinance, Sec. 10-1.02(x)
• No city short-term-rental ordinance The city has no separate short-term-rental law. A short-term rental is treated as a residential use — and it still has to comply with the rental registration program above. Law: City Zoning Ordinance (no STR provisions); city staff position, 2023
• The city's property maintenance code is gone The city's own property maintenance code was repealed on May 16, 2022. There is no standalone city maintenance code in force — the state repair duty on the “During the tenancy” list above is the one that applies. Law: repeal of City Code Ch. 8, §§ 8-126–8-127 (2022); state duty: MCL 554.139
• Chippewa County has no rental program The county has no rental registration, no rental inspection, and no housing code. There is nothing to file with the county for a rental — the two county rules below are the ones that reach a landlord. Law: Chippewa County codified ordinances (read in full, Nov 15, 2026)
• Junk vehicles: the county rule binds owner, tenant, and manager No junk, wrecked, or dismantled vehicles may sit on the property unless they are inside a fully enclosed building or screened from public view. A violation is a public nuisance, each day counts as a separate violation, and if the county removes a vehicle, the removal costs can be charged to the property owner. Law: Chippewa County Ord. 74-1, §§ 4, 5, 8
• Show the property's address number The assigned address number must be displayed on the property within 30 days after the county notifies you of it. Law: Chippewa County Ord. 1996-4, Sec. 3.26