Georgia security deposit demand letter
Ask for your deposit with the Georgia law behind your request. Download the free PDF or Word template, or fill in your dates and figures below.
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Before sending in Georgia
Preserve written dissent to the damage list
Check coverage: If your landlord owns 10 or fewer rental units and manages them personally, they are exempt from Georgia's escrow, inspection-list, and triple-damages rules. The 30-day deadline to return your deposit still applies to every landlord, but the triple-damages penalty would not be available against a small self-managing landlord.
Check the inspection and damage-list procedure before writing. Where those rules apply, specify disagreement with individual items in writing. Small self-managing landlords have different coverage from professionally managed rentals.
What records should support deductions?
The written statement and dollar-valued damage list go by first-class mail to the tenant's last known address; deductions must be reasonable (depreciated value, not full replacement), and the landlord bears the burden of proving any wrongful withholding was a good-faith error (§ 44-7-35(c)).
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Choose your situation, then add your figures. No account or payment. Unfilled details stay in brackets for you to edit.
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[Your name] [Your current mailing address] [Date] [Landlord or property manager name] [Address designated for notices] SENT VIA CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED RE: Request for return of security deposit - [rental property address] Dear [Landlord]: I vacated the property on [move-out date] and paid a security deposit of $[deposit amount]. Under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34: 30 days after termination of the lease or surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs last (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34(a)). [Before sending: confirm this statute covers your tenancy.] REQUEST Please return $[amount requested] of my deposit to the mailing address above. Please explain any deductions you maintain and provide the itemized statement and supporting records required by the applicable law. If the statutory conditions are met, under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-35(c), wrongful withholding of any portion of my deposit makes you liable for three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus my reasonable attorney's fees. Please respond by [response date after any required notice or cure period]. This requested date does not shorten any applicable statutory notice or cure period. If this remains unresolved after the applicable requirements are satisfied, I intend to pursue the remedies available in magistrate court. Sincerely, [Your signature] Enclosures: [List the records you are actually attaching.]
Review your dates and the records behind each charge before signing. The free analysis can help you assess disputed deductions and possible additional recovery.
From a blank request to a documented demand
See what your case documents add.
The free editor fills in your facts. The analysis reviews your charges and applicable rules; your paid case documents bring together the letter, damages summary and organized evidence checklist.
One charge, made specific.
Georgia example: repainting ordinary wall scuffs, $900. The example assumes the tenancy is covered by the cited law; no tenant result is implied.
A starting request
I disagree with the $900 charge for repainting ordinary wall scuffs. Please return that amount.
The free editor lets you add your own reasons and records.
In the generated letter
Ordinary wear and tear - not deductible. Repainting after a tenancy is ordinary wear and tear unless the walls were damaged beyond normal use (large holes, unauthorized colors). Dated move-in and move-out photos help distinguish ordinary wear from tenant-caused damage.
Records to attach: move-in photos and move-out photos.
State-law reference: O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34 ↗The amount stays tied to the facts: $1,100 withheld - $200 in accepted charges = $900 disputed in this sample.
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See the actual PDF pages
Open PDF to zoom ↗Sample Georgia case. Letter and exhibit pages extracted from a generated case PDF. Your letter uses your own facts and state law.
Read the complete Georgia sample letter
Fictional Georgia case. Generated sample, not a court outcome or a substitute for your own letter.
Maya Patel (fictional tenant)
[Fictional current mailing address]
September 08, 2026
Daniel Reed (fictional landlord)
[Fictional landlord mailing address]
SENT VIA CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
RE: Demand for return of security deposit - [Fictional Georgia rental address]
Dear Daniel Reed (fictional landlord):
I vacated the above rental property on August 01, 2026 and paid a security deposit of $2,000.00. Under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34 (Georgia Security Deposit Law), the applicable return rule is: 30 days after termination of the lease or surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs last (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34(a)).
DISPUTED DEDUCTIONS
I dispute the following deductions under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34 for the reasons below. Please provide the records supporting each disputed charge, including the work, cost, and condition at issue. For replacement charges, explain the item's age and how you calculated the amount charged:
• Repainting ordinary wall scuffs - $900.00
Ordinary wear and tear - not deductible. Repainting after a tenancy is ordinary wear and tear unless the walls were damaged beyond normal use (large holes, unauthorized colors). Dated move-in and move-out photos help distinguish ordinary wear from tenant-caused damage.
I do not contest the following deductions, totaling $200.00: Unpaid rent balance ($200.00).
This demand does not cancel any accepted debt. Any separate claim or counterclaim must credit amounts already paid or retained toward that debt.
DEMAND
I demand payment of $900.00, the amount improperly withheld from my deposit.
This demand is limited to the amount improperly withheld. The applicable statutory remedy is conditional: under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-35(c), wrongful withholding of any portion of my deposit makes you liable for three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus my reasonable attorney's fees. I reserve the right to seek that remedy if its conditions are established in court.
Please deliver payment to the address above no later than September 22, 2026 (14 days from the date of this letter). This requested date does not shorten any statutory notice or cure period. If this remains unresolved after the applicable notice, service and waiting requirements are satisfied, I intend to file suit in magistrate court. I have retained dated photographs of the property's condition, the lease, our correspondence, your itemized statement, the repair receipts you provided, and this demand letter.
Sincerely,
Maya Patel (fictional tenant)
Enclosures: Evidence exhibit listSend it with a record you can use.
Include your written dissent, inspection records and photos. Distinguish a missing refund from disagreement with the estimated value of a particular item.
O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34: return and accounting ↗What happens after sending?
Compare the final written reasons and balance with the 30-day return rule. Keep the original damage list and your response together so your objections remain traceable.
They refund some or all of it
Save the payment record and update what remains disputed. Read any settlement or release before agreeing to it.
They reject the request or explain the deductions
Match each explanation to your lease and condition records. Reply with the specific amounts and reasons still disputed.
The letter comes back or nobody responds
Keep the envelope or tracking record. Check the address and required service method before using the Georgia filing guide. Attempted delivery may not complete statutory service.
Frequently asked questions
Which return deadline should my Georgia letter refer to?
30 days after termination of the lease or surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs last (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34(a)). Missing the statutory time periods forfeits all rights to withhold any portion of the deposit and also forfeits the right to sue the tenant for damages to the premises (§ 44-7-35(b)).
What penalties does Georgia law allow if the withholding was wrongful?
A landlord who wrongfully withholds is liable for three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus reasonable attorney's fees (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-35(c)), unless they prove an unintentional good-faith error.
What happens if the landlord ignores the letter?
You can file in magistrate court (limit: $15,000; filing fees about $45-$55 depending on county). Check required notices, filing deadlines and the court's rules before filing.
Georgia filing steps and court forms →