Security deposit demand letter
Request a refund or itemized accounting using the facts in your records. Edit the wording without adding automatic legal deadlines or penalties.
Editable draft
$2,000.00 of the recorded deposit has not been refunded; lawful deductions remain a separate question.
Complete every placeholder and verify local wording, timing, and delivery requirements before using this draft.
Edits stay in this page. No letter is sent or saved to an account.
Start with the amount paid and the amount received
The worksheet reports deposit paid minus refunds received. For example, a $2,000 deposit with $300 returned leaves $1,700 unrefunded. That figure is a way to reconcile your records; it is not a decision that all $1,700 must be returned.
Describe the actual issue in the request field. You might be missing an accounting, questioning an identified charge, or asking how a partial refund was calculated. Distinguish facts you can support from an amount you disagree with. The draft asks for an itemized explanation and supporting records without automatically declaring every deduction unlawful.
Use dates that describe what happened
Record the move-out or possession-return facts accurately. The optional response date expresses when you would like a reply; it does not calculate the legal return deadline or a period for bringing a claim. Leave it blank if you have not chosen a date.
Use an address for correspondence, but verify the applicable refund method separately. The draft does not insist on a mailed check or designate one roommate as the sole payee. For California-specific questions, use the California deposit guide and the official resources below.
Keep a copy and the records that support it
Identify the lease, payment record, move-in and move-out records, photographs, accounting, and correspondence that relate to the specific issue. Only list documents you actually have. Copying, downloading, and printing create your draft; they do not deliver it to the landlord.
USAGov’s landlord-dispute guidance points readers toward their state assistance and legal-help resources. California readers can also use the California Courts demand-letter resource. No automatic damages amount or allegation of bad faith is inserted here.
For the other side of an accounting, see the deposit return worksheet. A separate move-out rent calculation can help reconcile an agreed partial-month amount.
Questions, answered
Is the unrefunded figure necessarily the amount I can recover?
No. It is the recorded deposit minus refunds received. It has not been reduced by disputed deductions and does not decide which deductions are lawful. State the facts and the specific accounting or refund you are requesting.
Does the requested response date create a legal deadline?
No. That optional date is your request for a response. The draft says so expressly and does not replace a statutory deadline, court deadline, or applicable pre-suit requirement.
Will the letter demand double or triple damages?
No. The generic draft does not accuse the recipient of bad faith or insert automatic penalties. If you believe a remedy applies, consult current local guidance or qualified assistance about the facts and available process.
Can California tenants use a court-provided resource instead?
Yes. California Courts publishes a guided demand-letter resource for security-deposit disputes, linked below. Review that resource and the current California rules rather than assuming this general draft fits every case.
Sources and review
Reviewed October 25, 2026. These are original editable drafts and arithmetic examples, not a finding of legal entitlement or valid service.
USAGov: How to file a complaint against a landlord, updated April 15, 2026, provides a route to state assistance and legal help.
California DRE, California Tenants, 2026 edition (PDF), revised January 1, 2026. Pages 76–80 discuss accounting, documentation, refund methods, and related California requirements. This state guide does not establish rules for other locations.
California Courts: demand letter for a security deposit, checked October 25, 2026. The court provides its own guided resource; this site’s draft does not copy the court’s generated letter.
See our calculation methodology for numerical conventions. No letter is submitted or sent by this site.