Breaking a Lease in Michigan
Michigan rules on breaking a lease for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-23.
Short answer: A tenant with a reasonable fear of present danger to the tenant or the tenant's child from domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking is released from rent. MCL 554.601b
The rules in Michigan
| Ending a lease: domestic violence | A tenant with a reasonable fear of present danger to the tenant or the tenant's child from domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking is released from rent. The tenant must send written notice of intent to seek release by certified mail, with a written statement of that fear and one qualifying document. Qualifying documents: a valid personal protection order (or similar order), a probation, parole or conditional release order with no-contact conditions, a police report that resulted in charges (charges filed within 14 days, or older charges with a verifiable present threat), or a qualified third party's verified report in the statutory form. Liability: rent ends no later than the first day of the second month that rent is due after notice, and not before the tenant moves out. Prepaid amounts, such as first and last month's rent, are not refunded, and the deposit may still be withheld as allowed by law. The lease must include, or the landlord must post or deliver, the statutory notice of this right. Source: MCL 554.601b |
|---|---|
| Ending a lease: military, medical, death | Leases must let a tenant who has lived in the unit more than 13 months end the lease with 60 days' written notice if the tenant (a) becomes eligible during the lease term for subsidized senior citizen housing and gives written proof, or (b) becomes unable to live independently, as certified by a physician in a notarized statement. This applies to leases entered into, renewed or renegotiated after June 15, 1995. No state military lease-break statute beyond the federal SCRA was checked. No tenant-death statute was found. Source: MCL 554.601a |
Related questions
- Can I break my lease because of domestic violence?
- Can I break my lease for military orders, medical reasons or a death?
Michigan vs. neighboring states
| State | Ending a lease: domestic violence | Ending a lease: military, medical, death |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | A tenant with a reasonable fear of present danger to the tenant or the tenant's child from domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking is released from rent. The tenant must send written notice of intent to seek release by certified mail, with a written statement of that fear and one qualifying document. Qualifying documents: a valid personal protection order (or similar order), a probation, parole or conditional release order with no-contact conditions, a police report that resulted in charges (charges filed within 14 days, or older charges with a verifiable present threat), or a qualified third party's verified report in the statutory form. Liability: rent ends no later than the first day of the second month that rent is due after notice, and not before the tenant moves out. Prepaid amounts, such as first and last month's rent, are not refunded, and the deposit may still be withheld as allowed by law. The lease must include, or the landlord must post or deliver, the statutory notice of this right. MCL 554.601b | Leases must let a tenant who has lived in the unit more than 13 months end the lease with 60 days' written notice if the tenant (a) becomes eligible during the lease term for subsidized senior citizen housing and gives written proof, or (b) becomes unable to live independently, as certified by a physician in a notarized statement. This applies to leases entered into, renewed or renegotiated after June 15, 1995. MCL 554.601a |
| Indiana | A 'protected individual' (tenant who is a victim or alleged victim of domestic/family violence, a sex offense, or stalking and has a civil protection order or criminal no-contact order) may end the lease with written notice at least 30 days before the termination date. The notice must include a copy of the protection or no-contact order and, for domestic violence or sexual assault victims, a safety plan dated within 30 days from an accredited DV or sexual assault program that recommends relocation. The tenant owes rent prorated to the termination date but no early-termination rent or fees; terminating at least 14 days before the right to occupy begins carries no damages or penalties. Other adult tenants stay bound. Landlords must also change locks within 48 hours (24 hours if the restrained person is a co-tenant) on written request with the order. IC 32-31-9-7, -9, -10, -12, -13 | No state statute was found giving early-termination rights for medical reasons, seniors moving to care, or (beyond federal SCRA) military service. On the death or incapacity of a sole occupant, the landlord must notify the tenant's representative, give access to remove property, and pay the representative the deposit and unearned rent due under IC 32-31-3-12; the statute does not itself terminate the lease. IC 32-31-1-23 |
| Ohio | No statute. Ohio has no state law letting domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking survivors end a residential lease early. Ohio Rev. Code ch. 5321 (no such section) | Ohio has no state-law early termination right for medical reasons, disability, seniors, or tenant death. For military tenants: in an eviction case against a tenant deployed on active duty (or whose immediate family member is), the court may, and on motion must, stay the case for 90 days or adjust the rental obligation if the deployment materially affects the ability to pay. This applies only to rental agreements made on or after May 18, 2005, and not to landlords with fewer than 4 units. Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.062 |
| Wisconsin | Yes. A tenant may end the tenancy and move out if the tenant or the tenant's child faces an imminent threat of serious physical harm from another person and the tenant gives notice under s. 704.21 with a certified copy of a qualifying document: a domestic abuse, child abuse or harassment/stalking injunction, a no-contact bail condition, or a criminal complaint for stalking or a domestic abuse offense. Separately, a tenant who is a victim of sexual assault (or whose child is) may end the tenancy with notice under s. 704.21 and a certified copy of a harassment injunction against the person who committed, attempted or threatened the sexual assault, or a criminal complaint alleging the sexual assault; this ground does not require showing an imminent threat of serious physical harm. The tenant owes no rent after the end of the month following the month of notice or move-out, whichever is later (subject to the landlord's duty to mitigate). On request with the same documents, the landlord must change the locks (or allow the tenant to) within 48 hours at the tenant's cost. Wis. Stat. 704.16 | Tenant death: the tenancy ends on the earlier of 60 days after the landlord learns of the death or the end of the lease term (periodic tenancies end 60 days after notice of death); the estate owes no rent after that, subject to mitigation, and the landlord may not seek the rent from family members who are not liable. Other adult tenants remain bound. No state statute found for military (beyond federal SCRA), medical/disability or senior moves. Wis. Stat. 704.165 |
City rules that may add to state law
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Compare breaking a lease in all 50 states and DC →
Breaking a Lease in Michigan FAQ
Can a domestic violence survivor break a lease in Michigan?
A tenant with a reasonable fear of present danger to the tenant or the tenant's child from domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking is released from rent. The tenant must send written notice of intent to seek release by certified mail, with a written statement of that fear and one qualifying document. Qualifying documents: a valid personal protection order (or similar order), a probation, parole or conditional release order with no-contact conditions, a police report that resulted in charges (charges filed within 14 days, or older charges with a verifiable present threat), or a qualified third party's verified report in the statutory form. Liability: rent ends no later than the first day of the second month that rent is due after notice, and not before the tenant moves out. Prepaid amounts, such as first and last month's rent, are not refunded, and the deposit may still be withheld as allowed by law. The lease must include, or the landlord must post or deliver, the statutory notice of this right. (MCL 554.601b)
When can a tenant break a lease without penalty in Michigan?
Leases must let a tenant who has lived in the unit more than 13 months end the lease with 60 days' written notice if the tenant (a) becomes eligible during the lease term for subsidized senior citizen housing and gives written proof, or (b) becomes unable to live independently, as certified by a physician in a notarized statement. This applies to leases entered into, renewed or renegotiated after June 15, 1995. (MCL 554.601a)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.