Free Michigan Residential Lease Agreement Template
Free, editable, and written for Michigan. Opens in Word, Pages, or Google Docs.
Quick Answer
What has to be in a Michigan residential lease?
A Michigan residential lease should identify the landlord, tenant, and rental address; state the rent amount, due date, and term; and cover the security deposit, utilities, maintenance, pets, and how the lease ends. Michigan law adds requirements a generic out-of-state form usually misses: a written lease must include the landlord's name and address for notices, the security deposit is capped at 1.5 months' rent and must be held in a regulated account with written notice to the tenant within 14 days, an inventory checklist must be provided at move-in, and the Truth in Renting Act prohibits certain waiver clauses. This free template is a generic starting point, not legal advice.
Important: Clear Path Document Services is a document preparation and filing-assistance service — not a law firm. We do not provide legal advice, attorney representation, or create attorney-client relationships. All documents are prepared based on information you provide for educational and administrative purposes.Read full disclaimer.
What this document does
- A written contract between a landlord and a tenant for a home, apartment, condo, or room.
- It fixes the rent, the term, and what each side is responsible for, so disagreements later get decided by the document instead of memory.
- A written lease is not required for month-to-month tenancies in Michigan, but without one you lose almost every protection you would have had.
What Michigan requires
- Security deposit: Michigan caps a residential security deposit at 1.5 months' rent.
- Deposit notice: within 14 days of the tenant taking possession, the landlord must give written notice of the landlord's name and address, the address where the deposit is held, and the tenant's obligation to provide a forwarding address within 4 days of moving out.
- Inventory checklist: the landlord must give the tenant two blank copies of an inventory checklist at move-in, and the checklist must include the statutory notice telling tenants to inspect the unit and note damages.
- Truth in Renting Act: a lease cannot waive the tenant's right to a jury trial, waive the landlord's duty to keep the premises fit, or include other clauses the Act prohibits. A prohibited clause can expose the landlord to damages.
- Landlord duties: Michigan law implies a covenant to keep the premises and common areas fit for the use intended and in reasonable repair.
- Ending a tenancy: a month-to-month tenancy generally requires written notice equal to one rent period. A fixed-term lease ends on its own date unless it says otherwise.
How to sign and deliver it
- Both landlord and tenant sign and date. Every adult occupant should sign as a tenant.
- No notary is required for a residential lease.
- Each side keeps a fully signed copy, and the tenant should keep the completed inventory checklist with it.
- Attach any addenda (pets, smoking, lead-based paint disclosure for pre-1978 housing) and reference them in the lease.
Mistakes people make
- Using a lease written for another state — deposit caps, notice periods, and required disclosures are different.
- Collecting more than 1.5 months' rent as a deposit.
- Skipping the inventory checklist, which makes deposit deductions much harder to defend.
- Not putting the landlord's notice address in the lease, which is required.
- Charging an unexplained 'non-refundable deposit' rather than clearly labeling a fee.
- Never signing it — an unsigned lease is very hard to enforce.
Frequently asked questions
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Reviewed and updated by the Clear Path document team. Informational only — not legal advice.
Important: Clear Path Document Services is a document preparation and filing-assistance service — not a law firm. We do not provide legal advice, attorney representation, or create attorney-client relationships. All documents are prepared based on information you provide for educational and administrative purposes.Read full disclaimer.