Free Michigan Room Rental Agreement Template

A Michigan room rental agreement is the written contract for renting one bedroom in a shared home. Michigan’s deposit rules live in the Landlord and Tenant Relationships Act, and a landlord may not require a security deposit of more than one and a half months’ rent.

The more distinctive part is procedural. Michigan builds its entire damage system around a checklist, used twice.

That right is written into the statute. The commencement inventory checklist must carry a notice in 12-point boldface type at the top of its first page telling the tenant to complete and return it within seven days, and telling them they are entitled to request and receive a copy of the last termination inventory checklist, which shows what claims were chargeable to the last prior tenants.

It pairs with a second protection. When the landlord sends the itemized list of damages at the end, that list may not include any damages that were claimed on a previous termination inventory checklist before the tenant moved in.

Together those two rules mean a renter taking a room in Michigan can find out what was already charged against the room before they arrived, and cannot be billed for it a second time. Asking for that document at move-in costs nothing.

The checklist procedure has specific mechanics, and a Michigan room rental agreement should be built around them.

Two Blank Copies at the Start

At the commencement of the lease, the landlord furnishes the tenant two blank copies of a commencement inventory checklist, on a form identical to the one used for the termination checklist. The checklist must include all items in the rental unit owned by the landlord, including carpeting, draperies, appliances, windows, furniture, walls, closets, shelves, paint, doors, plumbing fixtures, and electrical fixtures.

For a furnished room that list is the whole argument later, so the desk, the bed, and the chest of drawers all belong on it.

Seven Days to Return It

Unless the two sides agree on a shorter period, the tenant reviews the checklist, notes the condition of the property, and returns one copy to the landlord within seven days after receiving possession of the premises.

A Checklist at the End Too

At the termination of occupancy the landlord completes a termination inventory checklist listing all the damages claimed to have been caused by the tenant.

Give a Forwarding Address

Within four days of vacating, the tenant should notify the landlord in writing of an address where they can be reached.

Where there is damage or another obligation against the deposit, the landlord must mail the tenant an itemized list of damages claimed within 30 days after the termination of occupancy. That list includes the estimated cost of repair for each damaged item and the amounts and bases on which the landlord intends to assess the tenant.

The list has to arrive with a check or money order for the difference between the damages claimed and the deposit held, and it must carry a required statement in 12-point boldface type, at least four points larger than the body of the notice.

Amounts and deadlines here are set by statute and can be amended, so confirm the current text before relying on a figure.

For a Michigan room rental agreement, the terms worth adding are:

• A reference to the commencement checklist and the seven-day return date
• An itemized list of the landlord’s furniture and appliances in the room
• The deposit amount, set within the one and a half month ceiling
• Where the tenant should send a forwarding address when they leave
• Which areas are shared, and the rules for using them