State-aware demand
Organizes your dates, deposit amount, itemization status, disputed deductions, and requested resolution.
After move-out
Build a security deposit demand letter—and the evidence record behind it.
Turn your deposit amount, deductions, dates, messages, and proof into one personalized five-part pack, built on your state's official deposit rules.
Choose your former rental state
ArizonaCaliforniaChicagoColoradoConnecticutFloridaGeorgiaIllinoisIndianaMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMissouriNevadaNew JerseyNew YorkNorth CarolinaOhioOregonPennsylvaniaSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVirginiaWashingtonWisconsin
Free personalized preview · $39 one-time · No account or subscription
Is your landlord late? Use the free deadline calculator →Evidence system
Connect each charge to move-in records, move-out records, lease language, messages, invoices, and delivery proof.
Escalation preparation
Preserves official statute and court starting points without pretending a court has already ruled in your favor.
A blank template leaves you to
- Research the state framework and timing questions yourself
- Decide how to organize disputed deductions and supporting proof
- Connect messages, dates, photos, receipts, and delivery records manually
TenantShield organizes
- ✓ A personalized written demand and requested resolution
- ✓ State-specific official sources and timing checkpoints
- ✓ Deduction, evidence, communication, and escalation-prep worksheets
Return deadlines by state
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit?
General starting points from each state's official statute. Conditions such as forwarding addresses, lease terms, and how the tenancy ended can change the date, so open the state page and the official text before relying on it.
Free deadline calculator →Guide: how to get your security deposit back →Guide: normal wear and tear vs. damage →
Currently supported
Choose the former rental state
Arizona security deposit law & letter
Arizona generally uses 14 days excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays after termination, delivery of possession, and tenant demand.
Create free preview →California security deposit law & letter
California generally requires the remaining deposit and an itemized statement no later than 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates, subject to the statute’s details.
Create free preview →Chicago security deposit law & letter
Chicago’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance generally requires the landlord to return the security deposit, or any balance, with any required interest within 45 days after the tenant vacates, and a landlord who deducts for damage must deliver or mail an itemized statement with costs and copies of paid receipts within 30 days.
Create free preview →Colorado security deposit law & letter
Colorado generally requires the deposit, or a written statement of the exact reasons for any amount retained together with the balance, within 30 days after the lease terminates or the tenant surrenders the premises, whichever occurs last, unless the lease specifies a longer period of no more than 60 days.
Create free preview →Connecticut security deposit law & letter
Connecticut generally requires the landlord to deliver the security deposit plus accrued interest, or the balance with a written statement itemizing the nature and amount of any damages, to the tenant’s forwarding address within 21 days after the tenancy terminates or 15 days after receiving the tenant’s written forwarding address, whichever is later.
Create free preview →Florida security deposit law & letter
Florida generally uses a 15-day return period when the landlord makes no claim, or a 30-day period to send a written notice of intention to impose a claim, both measured from termination of the rental agreement upon the tenant vacating.
Create free preview →Georgia security deposit law & letter
Georgia generally requires the landlord to return the full security deposit, or to provide a written statement identifying the exact reasons for any amount retained together with the balance, within 30 days after obtaining possession of the premises.
Create free preview →Illinois security deposit law & letter
Illinois generally uses a 30-day period for an itemized damage statement with paid receipts, measured from the later of move-out or the end of the right of possession, and a 45-day full-return period from move-out when no compliant statement is furnished, subject to statutory conditions and any local ordinance.
Create free preview →Indiana security deposit law & letter
Indiana generally requires the landlord to return the security deposit, less permitted deductions itemized in a written notice with the amount due, not more than 45 days after termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession; the landlord is not liable under the chapter until the tenant supplies a mailing address in writing.
Create free preview →Maryland security deposit law & letter
Maryland generally requires the landlord, within 45 days after the tenancy ends, to return the security deposit with simple interest, less any damages rightfully withheld, and to send any list of damages with an itemized statement of costs and supporting documentation by first-class mail to the tenant’s last known address.
Create free preview →Massachusetts security deposit law & letter
Massachusetts generally requires the landlord to return the security deposit or balance, with any interest due, within 30 days after the tenancy or occupancy ends, and to provide any sworn, itemized list of damages with written cost evidence within the same 30 days.
Create free preview →Michigan security deposit law & letter
Michigan generally requires a landlord who claims damages against the deposit to mail an itemized notice of damages within 30 days after the tenant’s occupancy ends and, to keep disputed amounts, to start a court action within 45 days unless a statutory exception applies; tenants have 4 days to give a written forwarding address and 7 days to respond by mail to a notice of damages.
Create free preview →Minnesota security deposit law & letter
Minnesota generally requires the landlord, within three weeks after termination of the tenancy and after receipt of the tenant’s mailing address or delivery instructions, to return the deposit with interest or furnish a written statement showing the specific reason for withholding any portion.
Create free preview →Missouri security deposit law & letter
Missouri generally requires the landlord, within 30 days after the date the tenancy terminates, to return the full security deposit or to furnish a written itemized list of the damages for which any portion is withheld, along with the balance; mailing to the tenant’s last known address counts as compliance.
Create free preview →Nevada security deposit law & letter
Nevada generally requires the landlord to provide an itemized, written accounting of the disposition of the security deposit and return any remaining portion no later than 30 days after the termination of the tenancy, by hand or by mail to the tenant’s present or last known address.
Create free preview →New Jersey security deposit law & letter
New Jersey generally requires the landlord, within 30 days after the lease terminates, to return the deposit plus the tenant’s share of the interest or earnings, less charges expended under the lease, with the interest and any deductions itemized, by personal delivery, registered mail, or certified mail.
Create free preview →New York security deposit law & letter
New York generally requires an itemized statement and return of any remaining deposit within 14 days after the tenant vacates, and the statute states that a landlord who misses that period forfeits the right to retain any portion.
Create free preview →North Carolina security deposit law & letter
North Carolina generally uses a 30-day period after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession for the landlord to refund the deposit balance with a written itemization, with an interim accounting at 30 days and a final accounting within 60 days when the claim cannot yet be determined.
Create free preview →Ohio security deposit law & letter
Ohio generally requires any deduction from the security deposit to be itemized and identified in a written notice delivered to the tenant, together with the amount due, within 30 days after termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession.
Create free preview →Oregon security deposit law & letter
Oregon generally uses a 31-day period, counted from when the tenancy terminates and the tenant delivers possession, for the landlord to give a written accounting of any claim against the deposit and to return the unclaimed balance.
Create free preview →Pennsylvania security deposit law & letter
Pennsylvania generally requires the landlord to provide a written list of any damages claimed, with payment of the deposit balance and any unpaid interest, within 30 days after the lease terminates or the surrender of the premises is accepted, whichever occurs first.
Create free preview →South Carolina security deposit law & letter
South Carolina generally requires the landlord to itemize any deduction from the security deposit in a written notice to the tenant, together with any amount due, within 30 days after termination of the tenancy, delivery of possession, and the tenant’s demand, whichever is later.
Create free preview →Tennessee security deposit law & letter
Tennessee’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not set a fixed number of days for refunding a deposit; a landlord generally may charge for physical damage only if it was discovered within 30 days after the tenant vacated, or 7 days after a new tenant takes possession if earlier.
Create free preview →Texas security deposit law & letter
Texas generally uses a 30-day refund or accounting period, subject to the written-forwarding-address rule and other statutory conditions.
Create free preview →Virginia security deposit law & letter
Virginia generally requires the landlord to itemize the security deposit and any deductions, damages, and charges in a written notice to the tenant, together with any amount due, within 45 days after the termination date of the tenancy or the date the tenant vacates, whichever occurs last.
Create free preview →Washington security deposit law & letter
Washington generally requires a full and specific statement of the basis for retaining any of the deposit, with supporting documentation and any refund due, within 30 days after the rental agreement terminates and the tenant vacates.
Create free preview →Wisconsin security deposit law & letter
Wisconsin generally requires the landlord to deliver or mail the security deposit, less amounts lawfully withheld, with a written statement accounting for any amount withheld, within 21 days after the rental agreement’s termination date, with different trigger dates after an early move-out, a rerental, or a move-out after the termination date.
Create free preview →Know before you buy
Security deposit demand letter FAQs
What is included in the $39 Security Deposit Recovery Pack?
The complete five-part PDF includes a personalized demand letter, timing worksheet, deduction dispute organizer, evidence log, and escalation-preparation sheet. It is a one-time purchase, not a subscription.
Can I preview my security deposit demand letter before paying?
Yes. Complete the guided interview to see a personalized preview before deciding whether to unlock the complete five-part PDF.
Which states does the security deposit pack support?
The current security deposit product supports former rentals in Arizona, California, Chicago, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Each state page explains that state's return timing and official sources.
Does a demand letter guarantee that my deposit will be returned?
No. The pack helps organize your facts, request, official starting points, and evidence record. It does not guarantee payment, replace a court process, or provide legal advice.
Turn the deposit dispute into an organized written record.
Choose the former rental state, build the personalized preview, and decide whether the complete $39 pack fits your situation.