Demand Letter Pack

Florida · Rental deposit

Getting your security deposit back in Florida

In Florida, a landlord who claims nothing must return the deposit within 15 days after the rental agreement ends. A landlord who wants to keep part of it must send a written notice of the claim within 30 days, and you have 15 days after receiving it to object in writing. A demand letter can be that objection, and it asks for the deposit by a clear date. You get the letter in English or Spanish.

Start your letterFrom $49, paid once. No account needed.

The questions, and the documents that come with the letters (checklist, timeline, next steps and memo), are in English. The letters can be written in English or Spanish.

The rules your letter follows

Taken from the official sources listed below. Interest rates change from time to time; these are the current ones.

Return when the landlord claims nothing
15 days
After the rental agreement ends, with any interest due.
Notice of a claim on the deposit
30 days
By certified mail, or by email under a signed email addendum. Without it in time, the landlord may not deduct anything, but can still sue you for damages separately.
Your time to object
15 days
In writing, after you receive the notice, to the address it gives. A late objection does not end your right to sue.
Final date the letter gives
14 days
You can choose up to 30 days.
Small claims court
Up to $8,000
County court, small claims division, not counting costs, interest and attorney fees. A pretrial conference comes first.
How to send it
Certified mail
Return receipt requested, with a copy by first-class mail and by email. The receipt proves the date it arrived.

What Florida law says about the deposit

When the rental agreement ends and the landlord does not intend to claim anything, the deposit comes back within 15 days. A landlord who intends to claim part of it must send a written notice within 30 days, by certified mail to your last known mailing address, or by email if you both signed an email addendum. A landlord who misses that notice may not deduct anything from the deposit, but can still sue for damages separately.

You then have 15 days from receiving the notice to object in writing. If you do not, the landlord may deduct the claim. In a suit about the deposit, the court awards costs and a reasonable attorney's fee to whoever wins.

The rule about the missed notice does not help a tenant who moved out early or left a periodic tenancy without first giving the landlord the advance written notice the law requires.

What the letter does

It states the tenancy, the dates the agreement ended and you moved out and returned the keys, the deposit, and your current mailing address. If you received a claim notice, it objects to each item you dispute and goes to the address the notice gives. It asks for the deposit by a clear date. It claims no penalty and adds no attorney fees.

If the landlord still does not pay

Claims up to $8,000 go to the small claims division of the county court, where a pretrial conference, often with mediation, comes first. The filing fee depends on the amount claimed. The escalation memo in the Complete pack describes this and the other routes; it does not tell you which one to take.

Where the rules come from

What is in the envelope

Word and PDF files you can edit before you send anything.

  1. 01

    Demand letter

    The formal letter, in the language you choose, with your amount and payment details. The deadline, and any interest and costs, follow the local rules.

  2. 02

    Evidence checklist

    What to keep and what to enclose, checked against the files you uploaded.

  3. 03

    Timeline

    Your dispute date by date, including the dates still to come.

  4. 04

    Next steps

    How to send the letter so you can prove it arrived, and what to do with each kind of reply.

  5. 05

    Final DemandComplete

    A shorter second letter with a last deadline, for when the first one passes.

  6. 06

    Escalation memoComplete

    Court, collection agencies and lawyers: what each route involves. It describes the options; it does not choose one for you.

How it works

  1. Today

    You answer the questions. It takes about ten minutes, and your answers are saved as you go.

  2. Today

    You check the summary and pay. A few minutes later your documents are ready, in Word and PDF.

  3. When you are ready

    You sign the letter and send it yourself, so it comes from you.

Questions

How long does a Florida landlord have to return the deposit?

15 days after the rental agreement ends if the landlord claims nothing. To keep part of it, the landlord must send a written notice of the claim within 30 days.

I received a notice of intent to impose a claim. What now?

You have 15 days after receiving it to object in writing, to the address in the notice. The letter can be that objection if it goes out in time. If the time has passed, it still asks for the money, because a late objection does not end your right to claim it in court.

Do I have to send a letter before small claims court?

No law requires it. The deposit notice Florida law requires landlords to give advises trying to resolve any dispute informally before filing a lawsuit, and a letter is one way to do that.

What does it cost?

$49 for the Standard pack and $79 for Complete, plus sales tax where it applies. You pay once.

P.S.

Your documents are written by an AI system and checked automatically against your answers and the local rules. No lawyer reviews them. They are document drafts and general information, not legal advice. Your answers are deleted 30 days after delivery, or sooner if you ask.

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