Detroit, MICHIGAN
My ex- landlord decided he is going to keep our (my 2 roommates and I) security deposit for a house we moved out of in Detroit, MI. His reasons for keeping the money are ridiculous, and I’m wondering what statutes exist that protect us against this type of thing.
Here are a few factors I have to work with.
1.) The lease "officially" ended in June of 06. I lived month to month under no written contract after that in the house until December 06, at which point I moved out and my other roommate stayed. I told the landlord that I was moving out and wanted an inspection so I could get my portion of the deposit back. The landlord said he would come through to inspect the house when I moved out, but never did, even after my repeated calls.
2.) My roommate finally moved out June 1rst, 07. I'm still local, and went to help him move out and make sure the house still looks good. The landlord came through, and gave no reason for us to believe that we were not getting the full deposit back. He even complimented on how clean it was! 39 days later I receive a hand written letter stating that we are not receiving our deposit back for various ridiculous reasons.
I know in other states there's a 30 day limit on return of security deposit (or notification for lack there of). Is that a law in MI as well?
3.) When I first moved in I requested info about the whereabouts of our deposit (my father told me it's supposed to be in an interest bearing account) but never received any account numbers or info of any sort regarding the money.
What actions can I take? My roommates have both moved out of state, so it's on me to fight this if I ever want to see my deposit again.

