Texas security deposit demand letter
Ask for your deposit with the Texas law behind your request. Download the free PDF or Word template, or fill in your dates and figures below.
Analysis free · case documents $49, one time · mailing optional
Before sending in Texas
Provide the address before alleging a late return
Texas's refund duty depends on your written forwarding address. Review the 30-day period after surrender together with that requirement and any lease notice condition.
What records should support deductions?
No express receipt requirement, but the landlord bears the burden of proving the reasonableness of each deduction.
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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 Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103: 30 days after surrender (if the tenant gave a forwarding address). 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 Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109, bad-faith retention of my deposit makes you liable for $100 plus three times the amount wrongfully withheld, 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 justice 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.
Texas 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: Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.101-92.109 ↗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 Texas case. Letter and exhibit pages extracted from a generated case PDF. Your letter uses your own facts and state law.
Read the complete Texas sample letter
Fictional Texas 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 Texas 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 Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103 (Texas Security Deposit Law), the applicable return rule is: 30 days after surrender (if the tenant gave a forwarding address).
DISPUTED DEDUCTIONS
I dispute the following deductions under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103 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 Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109, bad-faith retention of my deposit makes you liable for $100 plus three times the amount wrongfully withheld, together with 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 justice 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 forwarding address and surrender date. If you dispute rent, explain that dispute explicitly: the exception to itemization involves rent owed when there is no controversy about that amount.
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103: return and accounting ↗What happens after sending?
Compare the itemized description with reasonable damage charges and the rent ledger. Separate the amount withheld from additional remedies that depend on bad faith.
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 Texas filing guide. Attempted delivery may not complete statutory service.
Frequently asked questions
Which return deadline should my Texas letter refer to?
30 days after surrender (if the tenant gave a forwarding address). Failing to return the deposit or provide the itemized list within 30 days creates a presumption of bad faith (§ 92.109(d)). A landlord who in bad faith fails to itemize forfeits the right to withhold any portion and to sue for damages, and owes the tenant's attorney's fees (§ 92.109(b)).
What penalties does Texas law allow if the withholding was wrongful?
Bad-faith retention: tenant may recover $100 plus three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney's fees (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109).
What happens if the landlord ignores the letter?
You can file in justice court (limit: $20,000; filing fees $54). Check required notices, filing deadlines and the court's rules before filing.
Texas filing steps and court forms →