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Email template to request your security deposit back from a landlord

You've moved out, handed in the keys, and now you want your security deposit back. The deposit is the money you paid up front when you signed the lease, held by the landlord to cover unpaid rent or damage beyond normal wear. Every state sets a deadline for returning it, usually somewhere between 14 and 60 days after you move out, and most states also require the landlord to send an itemized list of anything they kept. Many states only start that clock once you've given a forwarding address in writing. This email does that job, and it puts the request on the record so that if the money doesn't show up, you have a dated document to point to.

Before you send

  • The date you moved out and the date you returned the keys. If you did a walk-through with the landlord, note who was there.
  • Your forwarding address. Put it in the email even if you've already told them by phone; the written version is the one that matters.
  • The amount of the deposit and the date you paid it. Your lease or your first payment record will show it.
  • Photos of the empty unit taken on your last day, and any move-in checklist or photos from when you arrived.
  • Your state's deadline for returning deposits. A quick search for "[your state] security deposit return deadline" will find the number; the attorney general's or a state housing office site is the most reliable source.
Subject Return of security deposit for [your former address, unit number] 
Hi [landlord or property manager name],

I moved out of [your former address, unit number] on [move-out date] and returned the keys on [date keys were returned]. I'm writing to request the return of my security deposit of $[deposit amount], which I paid on [date paid].

Please send the deposit to my forwarding address:

[Your name]
[Street address]
[City, state, zip code]

If you'd prefer to send it electronically, let me know and I can share details for [Zelle / direct deposit / other method].

I left the unit clean and in good condition, and I have dated photos from move-out day if that's helpful. If you plan to deduct anything, I'd appreciate an itemized list along with the remaining balance, as [state name] requires within [number of days] days of move-out.

Thank you for a good [number of years or months] there. Please confirm you've received this and when I can expect the deposit.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • A landlord who has already decided to return the full amount will usually say so within a few days and send a check. Save the confirmation and note the date it arrives.
  • If you get an itemized list with deductions you don't agree with, don't argue in this thread. Use a separate, careful email that goes through the charges one at a time (there's a template for that).
  • If the state deadline passes and nothing arrives, send a short follow-up quoting your original email's date and the legal deadline. In many states, a landlord who misses the deadline without a good reason can owe you more than the deposit.
  • If that follow-up goes unanswered, small claims court is built for this exact dispute. Filing fees are low, you don't need a lawyer, and your emails and photos are the evidence.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Get my security deposit back from my old landlord 
Hi StandIn,

I'd like you to get my security deposit back from my former landlord.

The rental: [former address and unit number].
Landlord or property manager: [name and email address].
Deposit amount and date paid: [amount and date].
Move-out date and key return date: [dates].
My forwarding address: [full mailing address].
Condition on move-out: [a sentence on how you left it, and whether you have photos].

Please send the request, make sure they have my forwarding address on record, and follow up if the deposit doesn't arrive within the deadline my state allows. If they send a list of deductions, bring it to me before responding.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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