Michigan Small Claims Demand Letter: How to Write One Before You Sue

Why Send a Demand Letter

Michigan does not require a demand letter for most small claims cases, but sending one does three things. It gives the other side a final chance to pay and settle without court involvement. It creates a paper trail showing the judge you tried to resolve the dispute first. And it forces you to pin down the exact amount, timeline, and facts before you file — which makes the rest of the process cleaner.

The exception is security deposit disputes. Under Michigan's Landlord and Tenant Relationships Act, the statutory notice exchange (the landlord's 30-day itemized damage list and the tenant's 7-day dispute response) effectively serves as the demand process. You still need to follow those steps, but a separate demand letter is not part of the sequence.

What to Include

A demand letter is not a legal brief. It is a short, factual letter that states what happened and what you want. Here is what it needs:

Your information and the recipient's. Full legal names and physical addresses for both sides. If you are writing to a business, use the exact registered name — check the LARA business entity database for LLCs and corporations.

A chronological account of the facts. What was agreed (the contract, the verbal deal, the transaction), what went wrong (non-delivery, non-payment, damage), and when each event happened. Dates matter.

An itemized breakdown of the amount owed. Do not round or estimate. List each component — the unpaid invoice, the repair cost, the unreturned deposit — with supporting documentation referenced (receipt #, invoice date, estimate from contractor).

A deadline to respond or pay. Give 10 to 14 calendar days. That is long enough to be reasonable but short enough to show you are serious.

What happens next. State plainly that if you do not receive payment or a response by the deadline, you intend to file a claim in Michigan small claims court.

What to Leave Out

No threats beyond stating your intent to file. No inflammatory language. No legal conclusions like "you committed fraud" or "this is breach of contract" — those are for the court to decide. Do not add interest unless you can identify a legal or contractual basis for it and support the amount you claim.

How to Send It

Send by certified mail with return receipt requested. This gives you a tracking number, a delivery date, and proof the other side received it (the green card signed by the recipient). Keep the receipt and the green card — they become part of your evidence file if the case goes to court.

Sending by regular mail works legally, but you lose the proof-of-delivery documentation. Email can supplement a mailed letter but should not replace it.

What to Do When They Do Not Respond

If the deadline passes without payment or a meaningful response, you move to filing Form DC 84 at the district court. Bring a copy of the demand letter and the certified mail receipt as part of your evidence. Judges notice when a plaintiff made a good-faith effort to resolve things before filing.

If the other side does respond with a partial offer or counterclaim, you can negotiate or proceed to court. Either way, the demand letter has done its job — it clarified the dispute and documented your position.

The Michigan small claims filing guide includes a demand letter structure template and walks through the full pre-filing process.

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