Every deposit guide, in one place
Read your state's rules, adapt a demand letter, or prepare for small claims with linked statutes and court resources. These guides, blank templates, and reference tables are free to use without creating an account. For calculators and printable inspection checklists, see the free tools.
You can use these resources on their own. Personalized case documents are an optional paid service.
50-state comparison table
Deadlines, penalty multipliers, forfeiture rules, small-claims limits - every jurisdiction, sortable.
Deposit statistics
Survey data on how disputes actually go, plus original aggregates computed across all 50 states and DC.
Deposit Protection Index
All 50 states ranked by how strongly their statutes protect tenant deposits - one score per jurisdiction.
Cost to sue, by state
Small-claims filing fees for deposit cases in every state, and what they mean against a typical deposit.
State deposit-law guides
What your state's statute says: the return deadline, itemization and receipts rules, penalties, and how to use small claims - with exact citations.
Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · Washington, D.C. · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
Landlord kept your deposit? State playbooks
The four-step path tenants use to get the money back - deadline check, evidence, demand letter, small claims - tuned to each state's law.
Start here if you haven't picked a state →
Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · Washington, D.C. · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
Free demand letter templates
A sample certified-mail demand letter for every state, citing the statute your landlord violated - copy it for free, or let the case builder fill one with your numbers.
All templates, with PDF and Word downloads →
Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · Washington, D.C. · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
Deduction disputes & lease breaks
The wear-and-tear line is the same in every state - these guides cover it charge by charge: carpet, painting, cleaning fees, nail holes, and what a broken lease does (and doesn't do) to your deposit.
Normal wear and tear vs. damage · Carpet replacement charges · Painting charges · Can your landlord deduct cleaning fees from your deposit? · Can a landlord charge for nail holes? · Breaking a lease · Security deposit depreciation table · Winning was step one · Roommates and the deposit · The building sold. Your deposit did not disappear.
Small claims court guides
How to sue for a deposit: start with your next step →If the letter doesn't work: where to file in each state, the claim limit and filing fees, the exhibit stack to bring, and how the hearing actually goes.
Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · Washington, D.C. · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming