In Michigan, the earliest sale is roughly 29 days after you deliver the lien notice: at least 14 days to pay, then two weeks of advertising, with the sale no sooner than 15 days after the first ad. The act does not say how many days late a tenant must be before you send that notice, so there is no day count from the due date.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Review your facility's notices and sale plan with your attorney before you act.
Michigan lien timeline at a glance
Michigan's rules are in the Self-Service Storage Facility Act, 1985 PA 148, MCL 570.521 to 570.527, last changed by 2014 PA 61. The act focuses on the notice and ad periods, not on days past due.
| Step | Earliest timing | What the law requires | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Move-in notice | At rental | Give every tenant the statutory written notice, including the line asking for an alternate contact. | MCL 570.523(4) |
| 2. Rent due, default | Day 0 | Tenant fails to pay rent or lawful charges when due. No grace period is defined. | MCL 570.524(1) |
| 3. Late fee | Per lease | Reasonable late charge if in the rental agreement. The greater of $20 or 20% of monthly rent is deemed reasonable. | MCL 570.523(6) |
| 4. Deny access (overlock) | 5 days after rent is due | You may deny access without notice. | MCL 570.524(1) |
| 5. Notice to UCC holders | On default | Notify any perfected security interest holder that names the tenant as debtor. | MCL 570.523(3) |
| 6. Lien notice | No set day from due date | In person, first-class mail or email. Itemized claim, demand for payment in at least 14 days, a statement that the property will be advertised and sold, your contact details and the deployment statement. | MCL 570.525(2)-(3) |
| 7. Advertisement | After the notice period ends | Once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper or on the website named in the lease. | MCL 570.525(5)-(7) |
| 8. Sale | 15 days after the first ad | Sale or disposition at the stated time and place, conforming to the notice. | MCL 570.525(2), (5) |
Add it up: 14 days to pay, then the first ad, then 15 more days. If the first ad runs the day the demand period ends, the earliest sale is 29 days after delivery of the notice. That is a derived minimum, so ask your attorney to confirm the count.
Worked example
Say a tenant on a $95 unit missed the February 1 rent. You deny access on February 6. On February 10 you email the lien notice, which the act presumes delivered on transmission. The 14-day pay window ends February 24. You run your first ad on February 25 and a second on March 4. The sale cannot be sooner than 15 days after February 25, so March 12 is the earliest. A later notice date moves every date after it.
Notice requirements
The lien notice goes to the tenant and to any occupant the tenant has designated in writing.
- Methods: delivered in person, first-class mail, or email to the last known address. Last known address includes an email in the latest rental agreement or a later written change. Delivery is presumed when you deposit it in the mail or send the email.
- Contents: an itemized claim with the date each charge came due, a demand for payment in not less than 14 days after delivery, a conspicuous statement that the property will be advertised and sold at a specified time and place, your contact information, and the service member deployment statement.
You must also give every new tenant the move-in notice written in MCL 570.523(4).
Alternate contact
Michigan's move-in notice tells the tenant to supply the name and address of another person who can reach them. The notice says you will notify that person at the same time and in the same manner. Use that wording, and notify any occupant the tenant designated in writing.
Advertising the sale
After the notice period ends, publish once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation where the facility is located (print or electronic edition), or post once a week for 2 consecutive weeks on a public website named in the rental agreement. If neither is available, post at least 10 days before the sale in at least 3 conspicuous places in the neighborhood. The ad includes a brief general inventory, the facility address, the tenant name, and the time, place and manner of sale. One ad may cover several tenants.
Late fee limits
You may charge a reasonable late charge if the rental agreement provides for it. A charge of $20 or 20% of monthly rent per month, whichever is greater, is deemed reasonable and not a penalty (MCL 570.523(6)). A higher fee is possible, but you carry the burden to justify it. On a $150 unit, 20% is $30, which beats $20.
Sale rules, surplus and records
The sale or other disposition must follow the notice and be commercially reasonable. The act does not use the words public auction, and it does not address online auctions by name, though the ad may run on a website. The tenant may redeem before the sale. A good faith purchaser takes free of the tenant's rights even if you missed a step.
Proceeds: first to your lien, with a cap of 4 months rent for the prior lienholder protection, then prior perfected lienholders, then the rest of your lien. Mail the balance to the tenant's last known address by certified mail with a first-class notice. If it is unclaimed 2 years after the sale, it escheats to the state. Keep records, because they are subject to Treasury audit.
Vehicles, boats and trailers
If rent on a motor vehicle, aircraft, mobile home, moped, motorcycle, snowmobile, trailer or watercraft is unpaid 60 days, you may have it towed by a licensed Michigan motor carrier instead of selling it, and you are then not liable. Before you sell any of these, contact the Secretary of State and other agencies to identify title holders and lienholders and tell them the sale time and place. A prior lienholder may pay you up to 4 months rent to protect its priority (MCL 570.525(10)-(12)).
Active-duty military (SCRA)
Michigan adds a state rule. A tenant who is transferred or deployed overseas on active duty for 180 days or more may give written notice with proof. You then may not enforce the lien until 90 days after overseas service ends. Your lien notice must include a statement of this right (MCL 570.524(3); 570.525(2)(e), (16)). Federal law adds protections for servicemembers, and owners must check a tenant's military status before a sale. See 50 U.S.C. 3958 for the federal rule.
Common mistakes checklist
- Leaving out the deployment statement in the lien notice.
- Giving a pay window shorter than 14 days.
- Selling less than 15 days after the first ad ran.
- Running ads before the notice period has ended.
- Skipping the move-in notice with the alternate contact line.
- Selling a vehicle or boat without checking Secretary of State records for lienholders.
- Sending surplus by regular mail instead of certified mail.
- Enforcing the lien against a tenant who gave valid overseas deployment notice.
Tools and next steps
Plan your dates with the lien timeline calculator. Compare other states on the self storage lien laws hub. Read the self storage auction process guide for the full walk-through, and start from the lien notice template. If you want the dates tracked for you, see lien and auction management.
Sources and review
Statute text was read on the official or published sources listed in this page's source list. Last reviewed: October 19, 2026. Laws change, and courts read them differently. This is general information, not legal advice. Review every notice and sale with your attorney before you act.