Return Of Security Deposit In MI
Hi! I am a renter in Michigan and was hoping that someone here is a MI landlord. When I moved out my landlord requested that I leave my fowarding address at the home along with the keys, which I did. He is now claiming that he does not have to send me a list of deductions from the deposit because I didnt send it to him.(the law does say this). But isnt there still a timeframe for the return of the deposit, or balance remaining? At this point its been over 45 days and he is basically blowing me off. I have called him several times and he keeps saying he will send it out tomorrow. Well now I realize that he asked me to leave the address at the property so he could use that as a defense. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I am not a MI landlord.
Perhaps a strongly worded letter from your attorney will help. Perhaps your attorney will help you file a lien against the property with interest accruing until the lien is paid. Imagine five years from now when the landlord is selling, how much it might cost the landlord to get you to release your lien so the landlord has clear and marketable title.
If there is a local apartment owners association in MI, perhaps they will have a suggestion, especially if your landlord is a member.
Absent any other action, it may appear that your only remaining recourse is to sue the landlord in small claims court.
For the future, when you vacate your next rental property, make sure you do a walkthrough with the landlord and get a written list of deficiencies before you leave.
Thank you for you reply. Just so you know, I left the fowarding address there at his request, because he was going out of town. He was supposed to call me as soon as he got back to schedule a walkthru. I finally called him on the 10 th day, at which point he refused to do a walkthru. I have contacted him several times, sent certified mail(he did not pick it up) and today I sent out a letter with just a certificate of mailing. Any other advice or suggestions are appreciated!