Security deposit demand letters · Now in 48 states
Your landlord kept your deposit.
The law is on your side.
Answer a few questions and get a formal demand letter citing your state's security deposit statute, the deadline your landlord missed, and the penalties they now face. Takes about three minutes.
No account needed. Takes about 3 minutes.
✓ Every statute we cite is verified against the state legislature's published text — the verification date is shown on every law page.
RE: Demand for return of security deposit — 742 Evergreen Terrace
SENT VIA CERTIFIED MAIL
I am writing to formally demand the return of my security deposit of $1,400.00 for the rental property listed above…
Under Fla. Stat. § 83.49, a landlord must return a tenant's security deposit within 15 days. That deadline has passed. A landlord who fails to meet the statute's notice requirements forfeits the right to impose any claim against the deposit…
I therefore demand payment of $1,400.00 within 10 days of the date of this letter…
What your landlord receives — cited, dated, and delivered certified.
What does your state's law say?
Every state sets a deadline for returning your deposit — and most punish landlords who miss it. See yours:
Tell us what happened
Your deposit amount, move-out date, and what your landlord did or didn't send you.
Review your letter
We cite your state's statute, deadline, and penalty provisions — written like it came from someone who will follow through.
We mail it certified
For $39 we print and send it USPS Certified Mail with tracking, plus your escalation kit if they still won't pay.
Deposits are where most people start. They aren't all we do.
Renting goes wrong in more than one way, and the same thing works each time: a letter that cites the statute, names the deadline, and arrives with a delivery record. Every law below was read from the text the legislature publishes.
Landlord kept your deposit
Every state sets a deadline to return it, and most penalise a landlord who misses one. In 28 states we can also challenge specific deductions using that state's own rules on what may lawfully be deducted.
Landlord won't make a repair
In 31 states a repair notice sent by certified mail does something a text message can't: it starts a legal clock your landlord has to answer. Texas even treats one certified letter as doing the work of two ordinary ones.
Late fee that looks illegal
17 states and DC cap what a landlord may charge when rent is late, and most landlords don't know it. Check your state's limit — if yours crossed it, that's a demand letter too.
Landlord walking in unannounced
Notice periods run from 12 hours to 72, and in thirteen states there is no rule at all — so most sites answering this question are describing a rule that doesn't exist. We read all 51 and write letters in 29.
Why a demand letter works
Every state sets a deadline for returning a security deposit — often 14 to 45 days — and most impose real penalties on landlords who blow it, frequently double or triple the amount wrongfully withheld plus attorney's fees. Landlords who ignore texts and emails tend to respond very differently to a certified letter that names the statute, the missed deadline, and what a court can award.
Common questions
- Is the letter really free?
- Yes. You fill out the form, we generate the letter citing your state's statute, and you download the PDF at no cost. You only pay if you want us to print it and send it by USPS Certified Mail for you.
- Why does certified mail matter?
- Certified mail creates a delivery record. If your landlord ignores you and you end up in small claims court, proof that they received a formal demand is often the difference between a quick win and a he-said-she-said hearing.
- Do I have to go to court?
- Often not. A certified letter citing the statute puts your landlord on written notice of a specific deadline they missed and the penalty the statute attaches to it, and creates a dated delivery record. If they still don't pay, your escalation plan walks you through filing in small claims.
- Are you lawyers?
- No. We prepare documents and mail them for you. We don't give legal advice and we're not your attorneys. If your situation is complicated, talk to a lawyer or your local tenants' union.
Find out what your landlord owes you
See your state's deadline and penalty, get your letter, and have it in today's mail — all in one sitting.
Start nowTenantRecourse is a document preparation and mailing service. We are not a law firm, we do not provide legal advice, and using this site does not create an attorney-client relationship. Everything here is general information — state law varies and local ordinances may add requirements.