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Your demand letter
- Print two copies. Sign and date both. Keep one.
- Send by USPS Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested (about $9 at the counter). Also email a scan so there is a timestamp.
- Keep the green receipt and the tracking printout — that is your proof of delivery in court.
- No full payment by the deadline in the letter? File in small claims. Filing is usually $30–$75 and you do not need a lawyer.
Landlord ignoring you, or already said no?
A first letter works on landlords who were merely slow. It does not work on landlords who are betting you will give up. For that you need to make filing suit look cheaper to them than paying you. That is what the Escalation Kit is:
- The hard demand letter — same facts, rewritten with your state's statutory penalty (2x or 3x the deposit, plus fees) calculated in dollars and stated as the number you will ask the court for.
- Certified-mail script — exactly what to say at the counter, which service to buy, and what to keep.
- Response playbook — what to do for each of the five things landlords say back ("we sent it", "damages", "you owe rent", partial offers, silence).
- Small claims complaint template — fill-in statement of claim, damages worksheet, and the evidence checklist judges actually look for.
- Settlement-demand calculator — the number to accept vs. the number to sue for.
One-time. Instant access, no account. On a $1,500 deposit that is 1.3% to stop being ignored.
Why a letter usually works
Every state sets a deadline for returning a deposit — often 14 to 45 days after you move out — and requires an itemized list of any deductions. Miss that deadline, and in most states the landlord forfeits the right to keep any of it, and can owe you two or three times the deposit plus your attorney's fees.
Most landlords know this. What they do not know is whether you know it. A letter that names the statute and the deadline answers that question, and the cheapest way for them to make the problem go away is to pay you.
Your state's deposit law, in plain English
Each page below gives the exact deadline, the statute, what your landlord owes if they miss it, what they are not allowed to deduct, and where to file if they ignore you.
This is a document generator, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice or creates an attorney–client relationship. Deposit statutes change and have exceptions; confirm your state's current law or talk to a local tenant lawyer or legal aid office before filing anything. Deadlines shown are the general rule for residential tenancies.