There is no legal minimum. At our Plymouth communities we have no strict credit score cutoff: we review every application individually, we prefer 625 or better, and qualified applicants with lower credit scores may be approved with a security deposit higher than the standard one month's rent and a $50 per month credit risk fee. A below-625 score is a reason for a conversation, not an automatic denial.
That is our policy. Other Michigan landlords set their own, and some do use hard cutoffs.
The $50 figure is the part almost nobody publishes, so we put it in the first paragraph. What weaker credit costs you here is in the section below, with the monthly and annual numbers.
Is there a legal minimum credit score to rent in Michigan?
No. Screening criteria are set by each landlord or management company, not by a statewide standard. That is why you get different answers from different buildings in the same ZIP code, and why a number in a generic article is not the number applied to your file.
No Michigan law restricts credit-based tenant screening. We looked, including for a Wayne County or Plymouth ordinance, and there is none. If you have read that Michigan limits the use of credit scores in rental applications, what you probably read about was a bill, not a law.
Senate Bill 372 of 2025 is that bill. It would prohibit a landlord from using a credit score as a deciding factor in lease eligibility. It has not passed. As of March 3, 2026 it had been reported from committee and placed on third reading. That is a live proposal, not a rule you can hold a landlord to today. If it becomes law, this section changes; until then, a landlord may lawfully use your score.
But one adjacent law did pass, and it may matter more to you
Michigan did prohibit source-of-income discrimination by landlords, effective April 2, 2025. MCL 554.601c lists ten prohibited acts, and the one most likely to affect an application is this: a landlord imposing a minimum income threshold may not exclude a rent voucher or subsidy when calculating whether the income criteria are met.
That is not a credit rule, and it will not help a thin file on its own. But if your score is the reason you are worried and a voucher is part of how you pay rent, the income half of the screen now has to count that voucher. "Source of income" at MCL 554.601(f) includes housing choice vouchers under 42 USC 1437f, public assistance, veterans' benefits, Social Security, SSI and other retirement programs. Landlords with fewer than 5 rental units statewide are exempt; we are not. Enforcement is a private civil action under MCL 554.601d. See our income guide.
This is general information, not legal advice.
The practical consequence: ask before you pay. Application fees are non-refundable, and ours is $65 per applicant. Call first and ask three questions: "Do you have a minimum credit score?", "If I am below it, is there any path to approval?", and "Does that path carry a higher deposit or a monthly fee, and what is the amount?" A leasing office that answers all three with numbers is telling you something useful about how they operate. Ours are a deposit of up to one and a half months' rent and a $50 per month credit risk fee, and they are both in this article.
What is our actual policy?
| Where you stand | What we do | What helps your file |
|---|---|---|
| 625 or above | Standard review. Security deposit equal to one month's rent. No credit risk fee. | Income at 2.5x to 3x rent, clean rental history |
| Below 625 | Individual review. Approval possible with a higher security deposit and a $50 per month credit risk fee. | Written explanation, proof of on-time rent, larger deposit, guarantor |
| Thin or no credit file | Individual review. | Pay stubs, bank statements, prior landlord references, a guarantor |
The standard security deposit at both Z on Plymouth and Z on Coolidge equals one month's rent, $1,499 on a one-bedroom or $1,699 on a two-bedroom at starting rents. For applicants with challenged credit, that figure goes up, and the maximum we can charge is one and a half months' rent. That is not our policy, it is the Michigan statutory cap: MCL 554.602 states that a security deposit "shall not exceed 1 1/2 months' rent," and no Michigan landlord can go past it regardless of credit or what the lease says.
At starting rents that ceiling is $2,248.50 on a one-bedroom and $2,548.50 on a two-bedroom. Where a particular file lands between one month and that cap depends on the file. What is fixed is the top of the range, and it is fixed by statute rather than by us.
The deposit is the mechanism to understand. It is the only refundable line in your move-in costs, returned in full if the unit is left in original condition, normal wear and tear excepted. A higher deposit is not a penalty you lose. It is money you front. Our move-in cost breakdown shows how the whole number moves.
What does weaker credit actually cost you at our communities?
A higher deposit is one half of the answer. Here is the other half, stated plainly, because a number is more use to you than a warning.
Qualified applicants with lower credit scores are charged a credit risk fee of $50 per month. It is billed with rent, and it is charged in addition to the higher security deposit rather than instead of it. Unlike the deposit, it is a fee, so it is not money you front and get back later.
Here is what it does to your all-in monthly cost:
| All-in monthly, before electric | Standard | With the credit risk fee |
|---|---|---|
| One-bedroom | $1,624 | $1,674 |
| Two-bedroom | $1,860 | $1,910 |
Those all-in figures are base rent plus the monthly utility fee and the $26 monthly administrative fee, at starting rents. The credit risk fee adds $600 a year to whichever row applies to you.
We are not going to dress that up. $600 a year is real money, and on a tight budget it is the difference between comfortable and not. What it buys is an approval. It is the alternative to a flat denial, which is the other way a landlord can answer a file that does not clear a conventional screen. We would rather price the risk and hand you keys than decline a file that is otherwise sound. You should decide which of those you prefer with the number in front of you, before you apply rather than at signing.
Two limits worth stating. The fee applies only to applicants whose credit is the reason for the extra scrutiny; it is not part of standard pricing, and it is not inside the standard move-in totals or the $1,624 and $1,860 all-in figures quoted elsewhere on this site. And it does not change the two one-time move-in fees, the $350 cleaning fee and the $125 document preparation fee, which are the same for everyone. If the credit risk fee applies to you, add $50 to the first month you pay at move-in, and to every month after.
What do landlords actually look at besides the score?
The three-digit number is a summary. What underwriters read is what produced it. Four things carry real weight in our review.
Rental history. Prior evictions and balances owed to a previous landlord matter more than the score itself. A 600 with four years of documented on-time rent reads very differently from a 600 with a judgment.
Income. We require gross monthly income of 2.5 to 3 times the monthly rent. Strong income does not erase a weak credit file, but it changes the conversation. The math is in what income you need to rent in Plymouth.
What the derogatory marks are, and how old. Medical collections, a late student loan during a job loss, and a charged-off credit card are different stories. Recent is worse than old.
Whether you told us first. An applicant who says up front "my score is around 590 because of a medical collection, here is the documentation and here are two years of rent receipts" gets a better outcome than one who lets the report speak alone.
What should you do if your credit is below 625?
In rough order of effectiveness:
1. Pull your own report first. Errors are common, and disputing one is the highest-leverage thing you can do, because removing an inaccurate collection can move a score more than months of good behavior. Do this weeks before you apply, not days.
2. Write the explanation before you are asked. One page. What happened, when, what you did about it, what is different now. Attach documentation.
3. Bring proof of paid rent. Canceled checks, bank statements showing recurring transfers, or a letter from a prior landlord. Rent history often does not appear on a credit report, which means the most relevant data about you as a tenant is data the score cannot see.
4. Offer the larger deposit before it is requested. Volunteering it signals you understand the risk you present.
5. Add a guarantor or a roommate with stronger credit. We accept guarantors and co-signers at both communities, held to the same 2.5x to 3x income standard we apply to applicants rather than a higher one. A guarantor signs the lease and is responsible if you do not pay. A roommate lives there and is jointly responsible for the full rent, not half, at a separate $65 application fee. In both cases the incomes are combined against one target, so neither party has to clear the multiple alone.
What is the honest downside here?
Individual review cuts both ways. A hard 625 cutoff is at least predictable: you know before you apply whether you clear it. Individual review means you might pay $65 and still be declined, or be approved on terms, a larger deposit, you did not budget for. We think it produces better outcomes for more applicants, and you deserve to know it carries less certainty than a published cutoff.
A higher deposit is a cash-flow problem even though it is refundable. Move-in at our communities already runs $3,663 for a one-bedroom or $4,099 for a two-bedroom from application through keys. Raising the deposit raises that requirement by up to half a month's rent, and you will not see it again until you move out. If your credit is challenged partly because cash has been tight, the remedy and the problem are in tension.
The credit risk fee is permanent for the term, and the deposit is not. You get the deposit back. You do not get the $600 a year back. Over a one-year lease the fee is the larger real cost of the two, even though the deposit is the bigger number on the move-in sheet. That is worth sitting with before you sign.
Plymouth's inventory is also thin, roughly 65 active listings citywide per Zillow in September 2026, so landlords face little pressure to stretch on a marginal file. Apply early in your search rather than late.
Frequently asked questions
What credit score do you need to rent an apartment in Michigan?
There is no legal minimum in Michigan; each landlord sets its own standard. At our Plymouth communities there is no strict minimum, we prefer 625 or better, and we review every application individually. Applicants with challenged credit may be approved with a security deposit higher than one month's rent.
Does Michigan law limit how landlords use credit scores?
No. There is no Michigan statute and no Wayne County or Plymouth ordinance restricting credit-based tenant screening. Senate Bill 372 of 2025 would prohibit using a credit score as a deciding factor in lease eligibility, but it has not passed. Michigan did prohibit source-of-income discrimination, effective April 2, 2025.
Can you rent an apartment with bad credit in Michigan?
Often, yes. Landlords who review files individually weigh rental history, income, and the age and type of derogatory marks alongside the score. Bringing proof of on-time rent, a written explanation, a larger security deposit, or a guarantor materially improves your odds. Ask about the policy before paying an application fee.
How much more is the security deposit with bad credit?
Our standard deposit equals one month's rent, $1,499 on a one-bedroom or $1,699 on a two-bedroom at starting rents. Applicants with challenged credit may be asked for more, up to the Michigan statutory maximum of one and a half months' rent under MCL 554.602. No Michigan landlord may exceed that cap. The deposit is fully refundable if the unit is returned in original condition, normal wear and tear excepted.
Is there an extra monthly fee for renting with lower credit?
At our Plymouth communities, yes. Qualified applicants with lower credit scores are charged a credit risk fee of $50 per month, in addition to a security deposit above the standard one month's rent. It takes the all-in monthly cost from $1,624 to $1,674 on a one-bedroom and from $1,860 to $1,910 on a two-bedroom, which is $600 a year.
Does rent payment history show up on your credit report?
Often it does not, which is why a credit score can understate a reliable tenant. Bring your own proof: canceled checks, bank statements showing recurring rent transfers, or a letter from a prior landlord. Supplying that evidence yourself is one of the most effective things a below-625 applicant can do.
If your credit is a question mark, call before you apply and we will tell you honestly where you stand. Schedule a tour.
Last verified: September 2026
Sources: Z on Plymouth · Z on Coolidge · MCL 554.601c and 554.601d, Act 348 of 1972 · Michigan Legislature (Senate Bill 372 of 2025; MCL 257.315) · Zillow Rental Manager, Plymouth MI
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