Montana security deposit demand letter
Ask for your deposit with the Montana 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 Montana
Check whether there were any deductions
Montana uses a 10-day return period when no deductions apply and a 30-day accounting and refund period when they do. Identify which situation fits before setting out your timeline.
What records should support deductions?
The statute requires an itemized written list but no attached receipts or invoices.
Make the free template yours.
Choose your situation, then add your figures. No account or payment. Unfilled details stay in brackets for you to edit.
Add names, addresses and sending details
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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 Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202: Within 30 days after termination or surrender and acceptance the landlord must provide a written itemized list of rent due, damage, and cleaning charges and refund the balance; within 10 days if there are no deductions (§ 70-25-202). The 30-day period runs from termination or surrender and acceptance, whichever occurs first; the qualifying no-deduction branch is 10 days. 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 Mont. Code Ann. 70-25-204, you are liable for any sum wrongfully withheld; noncompliance with the itemization procedure forfeits withholding for damage or cleaning under 70-25-203. 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.
Montana 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: Mont. Code Ann. §§ 70-25-201 to 70-25-204 ↗The amount stays tied to the facts: $1,100 withheld - $200 in accepted charges = $900 disputed in this sample.
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Open PDF to zoom ↗Sample Montana case. Letter and exhibit pages extracted from a generated case PDF. Your letter uses your own facts and state law.
Read the complete Montana sample letter
Fictional Montana 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 Montana 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 Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202 (Montana Security Deposit Law), the applicable return rule is: Within 30 days after termination or surrender and acceptance the landlord must provide a written itemized list of rent due, damage, and cleaning charges and refund the balance; within 10 days if there are no deductions (§ 70-25-202). The 30-day period runs from termination or surrender and acceptance, whichever occurs first; the qualifying no-deduction branch is 10 days.
DISPUTED DEDUCTIONS
I dispute the following deductions under Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202 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.
Separate rent, damage and cleaning charges in your response. Keep inspection records and any cleaning notice, and ask for the itemized basis of amounts retained.
Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202: return and accounting ↗What happens after sending?
Compare the refund and written list with the applicable period. Keep any opportunity-to-clean correspondence because cleaning has its own statutory procedure.
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 Montana filing guide. Attempted delivery may not complete statutory service.
Frequently asked questions
Which return deadline should my Montana letter refer to?
Within 30 days after termination or surrender and acceptance the landlord must provide a written itemized list of rent due, damage, and cleaning charges and refund the balance; within 10 days if there are no deductions (§ 70-25-202). The 30-day period runs from termination or surrender and acceptance, whichever occurs first; the qualifying no-deduction branch is 10 days. Without an itemized list, the landlord forfeits all rights to withhold for damage or cleaning (§ 70-25-203); wrongful withholding creates civil liability for the amount withheld (§ 70-25-204).
What penalties does Montana law allow if the withholding was wrongful?
No statutory multiplier: the landlord is liable for an amount equal to the sum wrongfully withheld, with attorney fees at the court's discretion to the prevailing party (§ 70-25-204). The real lever is the § 70-25-203 forfeiture. Some websites list a 2x penalty for Montana - the official MCA text has no such provision.
What happens if the landlord ignores the letter?
You can file in small claims court (limit: $7,000; filing fees about $40 plus county surcharges). Check required notices, filing deadlines and the court's rules before filing.
Montana filing steps and court forms →