Wisconsin security deposit demand letter
Ask for your deposit with the Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin
Check the termination event and nonstandard provisions
Wisconsin's 21-day period can depend on lease termination, earlier re-rental or a later departure. Check the event that applies before counting from the day you physically moved.
What records should support deductions?
No receipts requirement - but withholding is limited to tenant damage/waste/neglect, unpaid rent, tenant-owed utilities, and items in a signed Nonstandard Rental Provisions document; normal wear (including routine painting and routine carpet cleaning) may never be withheld, even if the lease says otherwise.
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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 Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.06: Deposit less lawful withholdings due within 21 days after the termination date (or the date a new tenancy begins if re-rented sooner; or, for late vacates, the date the landlord learns the tenant left). 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 Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5), I may recover twice my pecuniary loss together with costs and a mandatory reasonable attorney's fee, with damages doubled on the entire deposit where no accounting was provided. 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
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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.
Wisconsin 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: Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06; Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5) ↗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 Wisconsin case. Letter and exhibit pages extracted from a generated case PDF. Your letter uses your own facts and state law.
Read the complete Wisconsin sample letter
Fictional Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.06 (Wisconsin Security Deposit Law), the applicable return rule is: Deposit less lawful withholdings due within 21 days after the termination date (or the date a new tenancy begins if re-rented sooner; or, for late vacates, the date the landlord learns the tenant left).
DISPUTED DEDUCTIONS
I dispute the following deductions under Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.06 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 Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5), I may recover twice my pecuniary loss together with costs and a mandatory reasonable attorney's fee, with damages doubled on the entire deposit where no accounting was provided. 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 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.
Explain each disputed deduction and attach the relevant lease or signed Nonstandard Rental Provisions. Identify routine painting, carpet cleaning or ordinary wear charges separately from tenant-caused damage.
Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.06: return and accounting ↗What happens after sending?
Compare the written accounting with permitted withholding grounds and reasonable amounts. A lease provision does not make an ordinary-wear charge permissible.
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 Wisconsin filing guide. Attempted delivery may not complete statutory service.
Frequently asked questions
Which return deadline should my Wisconsin letter refer to?
Deposit less lawful withholdings due within 21 days after the termination date (or the date a new tenancy begins if re-rented sooner; or, for late vacates, the date the landlord learns the tenant left). Missing the 21-day deadline or the accounting violates § 100.20, so the tenant 'shall recover twice the amount of such pecuniary loss, together with costs, including a reasonable attorney fee' (§ 100.20(5)). Under Pierce v. Norwick, when no accounting was given the doubling applies to the whole deposit, regardless of the landlord's actual damages.
What penalties does Wisconsin law allow if the withholding was wrongful?
Double the pecuniary loss plus costs and a mandatory reasonable attorney fee (§ 100.20(5)); no cap. If no accounting was provided, damages are double the entire deposit (Pierce v. Norwick); with an accounting, doubling is subject to offset for actual damages. DATCP also takes consumer complaints, and criminal liability exists for failing to provide the statement.
What happens if the landlord ignores the letter?
You can file in small claims court (limit: $10,000; filing fees $94.50 under Wis. Stat. § 814.62). Check required notices, filing deadlines and the court's rules before filing.
Wisconsin filing steps and court forms →