Our Client had signed a purchase agreement to buy a house and had put down a substantial deposit. For multiple reasons, the client decided that he no longer wanted to buy the house. When he tried to terminate the deal, the sellers refused to return his deposit, and claimed that he had forfeited it. Shawn Head was able to discover that the sellers had failed to comply with a rather obscure statutory requirement; the sellers neglected to attach a notice that the property was serviced by private road that was not maintained by the county road commission. By not providing such a notice, under Michigan law, the buyer was able to terminate the purchase agreement without penalty.
Ultimately, the seller was forced to return the client’s entire deposit.