Michigan Landlord Inventory Checklist Requirements (MCL 554.608)

MCL 554.608 (Act 348 of 1972, the Security Deposit Act; its Popular Name in the files is “Landlord-Tenant Act”) requires a Michigan landlord to use an inventory checklist at the start and again at the end of occupancy of each rental unit for which a security deposit is required. At move-in the landlord furnishes the tenant 2 blank copies and the tenant returns 1 within 7 days after receiving possession, unless a shorter period is agreed. The checklist opens with a 12 point boldface notice the statute prints. At move-out the landlord completes a termination checklist listing the damages claimed.

What each subsection requires

(1) Checklists at both the commencement and the termination of occupancy, detailing the condition of the unit.
(2) Two blank copies at the start. The form “shall be identical to the form used for the termination inventory checklist”, and it covers “all items in the rental unit owned by the landlord including, but not limited to, carpeting, draperies, appliances, windows, furniture, walls, closets, shelves, paint, doors, plumbing fixtures and electrical fixtures”.
(3) The tenant reviews the checklist, notes the condition of the property and returns 1 copy to the landlord within 7 days after receiving possession of the premises, unless the two agree on a shorter period.
(4) The notice below, in 12 point boldface type at the top of the first page.
(5) At termination the landlord completes a checklist “listing all the damages he claims were caused by the tenant”.

The boldface notice, exactly

“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.”

Unlike MCL 554.603, subsection (4) asks only for 12 point boldface at the top of the first page; the text adds no relative-size rule. Copy the words exactly.

The 7 days: worked dates

Tenant receives possession	Day 7
Monday 2 November 2026	Monday 9 November 2026
Wednesday 2 December 2026	Wednesday 9 December 2026
Tuesday 5 January 2027	Tuesday 12 January 2027

The statute text does not say how to count weekends or holidays; the court rules do, and they are outside these files; ask the court clerk or an attorney, and when in doubt finish early. Subsection (3) puts the return duty on the tenant, but a tenant can only meet it if you furnish two copies at the commencement of the lease.

Prior-tenant damages

The notice tells the tenant he or she may request the last termination checklist. The text sets no deadline and no method for that request, so keep the previous checklist on file and hand it over when asked. MCL 554.609(2) says the notice of damages “must not include any damages that were claimed on a previous termination inventory checklist” made before the tenant moved in.

The termination checklist is not the notice of damages. Under MCL 554.609(1) the landlord must mail a notice of damages within 30 days after termination of occupancy, with an itemized list, the estimated repair cost of each damaged item and the amounts and bases of the charges. Example: occupancy ends Monday 9 November 2026; the 30th day is Wednesday 9 December 2026. The same day-counting caveat applies. The deposit may be used for damages only if they are “the direct result of conduct not reasonably expected in the normal course of habitation of a dwelling” (MCL 554.607(a)), so check each entry against that wording before it goes on the list.

Template

Our template; the statute lists the contents, not the layout. Use one form for both occasions, since subsection (2) requires identical forms.

INVENTORY CHECKLIST

[Top of page 1, 12 point bold:]
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.

Type: [ ] commencement   [ ] termination
Rental unit address: ______________________________
Date possession received / occupancy ended: ________
Copies furnished at move-in (2 blank): [ ] yes

ITEM                 | LOCATION | CONDITION | DAMAGE CLAIMED
                     |          |           | (termination only)
Carpeting            |          |           |
Draperies            |          |           |
Appliances           |          |           |
Windows              |          |           |
Furniture            |          |           |
Walls                |          |           |
Closets              |          |           |
Shelves              |          |           |
Paint                |          |           |
Doors                |          |           |
Plumbing fixtures    |          |           |
Electrical fixtures  |          |           |
Other landlord-owned items: ________________________

Landlord: __________ Date: _______  Tenant: __________ Date: _______
(Signatures and photographs: good practice, not required by the text)

What the text does not say

It sets no date for finishing the termination checklist beyond saying it is completed at the termination of occupancy; it does not require a joint walk-through, signatures, photographs or a retention period.
MCL 554.608 states no consequence of its own for a landlord who skips a checklist or a tenant who never returns one. Whether that affects a damages claim is a question for a Michigan attorney.

Common mistakes

Giving the tenant one copy instead of 2.
Using a different form at move-out, or leaving off the boldface notice.
Listing only some items; the statute says all landlord-owned items.
Putting damage from a prior termination checklist into the notice of damages.
Treating checklist entries as the mailed notice of damages.

This describes the statute text; it is not legal advice. For a disputed checklist or deposit, see a Michigan attorney.

Checked against the text published on legislature.mi.gov on 5 October 2026.

Sources

MCL 554.603 — Michigan Legislature, Michigan Compiled Laws
MCL 554.607 — Michigan Legislature, Michigan Compiled Laws
MCL 554.608 — Michigan Legislature, Michigan Compiled Laws
MCL 554.609 — Michigan Legislature, Michigan Compiled Laws

Related guides

Informational only, not legal advice. Statute text checked against the Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL 554.131 to 554.139, 554.601 to 554.616, 554.631 to 554.641 and 600.2918, 600.5701 to 600.5759) as published at legislature.mi.gov on October 5, 2026. Statutes change and a court may read them differently than a summary does; for a dispute, an eviction or anything expensive to get wrong, talk to a Michigan landlord-tenant attorney.

Want the complete picture? The Michigan Small Landlord Compliance Guide puts the security deposit, lease, notice and eviction rules of the Michigan Compiled Laws in one place, with each rule cited to the statute text.

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