Indiana security deposit demand letter
Ask for your deposit with the Indiana 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 Indiana
Supply the mailing address in writing
Indiana's deposit-return duty depends on your supplying a mailing address in writing. A move-out date alone is not enough to assess the 45-day rule.
What records should support deductions?
No receipts requirement - estimated costs per damaged item are expressly allowed (§ 32-31-3-14).
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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 Ind. Code § 32-31-3-12: Deposit plus itemized written notice of deductions due within 45 days after termination - and the clock effectively runs only once the tenant supplies a mailing address in writing. 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 Ind. Code § 32-31-3-12(b), your failure to comply forfeits all claimed deductions, entitling me to recover the full deposit due together with 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 small claims 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.
Indiana 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: Ind. Code §§ 32-31-3-12 to 32-31-3-15 ↗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 Indiana case. Letter and exhibit pages extracted from a generated case PDF. Your letter uses your own facts and state law.
Read the complete Indiana sample letter
Fictional Indiana 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 Indiana 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 Ind. Code § 32-31-3-12 (Indiana Security Deposit Law), the applicable return rule is: Deposit plus itemized written notice of deductions due within 45 days after termination - and the clock effectively runs only once the tenant supplies a mailing address in writing.
DISPUTED DEDUCTIONS
I dispute the following deductions under Ind. Code § 32-31-3-12 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.
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 small claims 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.
State your mailing address and when you previously provided it. Attach that earlier notice, the move-out record and your response to each itemized deduction.
Ind. Code § 32-31-3-12: return and accounting ↗What happens after sending?
Compare the damage list with the estimated repair costs, rent and utilities claimed. Do not treat an estimate as invalid merely because no receipt was attached.
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 Indiana filing guide. Attempted delivery may not complete statutory service.
Frequently asked questions
Which return deadline should my Indiana letter refer to?
Deposit plus itemized written notice of deductions due within 45 days after termination - and the clock effectively runs only once the tenant supplies a mailing address in writing. Automatic and harsh: failure to provide the damage notice 'constitutes agreement by the landlord that no damages are due,' and the full deposit must be remitted immediately (§ 32-31-3-15).
What penalties does Indiana law allow if the withholding was wrongful?
No statutory multiplier: the remedy is total forfeiture of deductions - the tenant recovers all of the deposit due plus reasonable attorney's fees (§ 32-31-3-12(b)). The deterrent is fee-shifting plus the § 32-31-3-15 deemed agreement that no damages are due.
What happens if the landlord ignores the letter?
You can file in small claims court (limit: $10,000; filing fees about $35-$97 depending on county). Check required notices, filing deadlines and the court's rules before filing.
Indiana filing steps and court forms →