Demand Letter Pack

France · Rental deposit

Your landlord in France kept your deposit: ask for it back in writing

French law gives a landlord a set period to return the deposit after you hand back the keys. For each month of delay that has started, the amount owed goes up. If the money has not come back, a mise en demeure sets out these rules and gives a final date to pay. You get it in French or English.

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 French or English.

Other languages: Français

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 period, move-out inspection matches move-in
1 month
From the day you returned the keys, less sums you still owe the landlord that are properly justified.
Return period, move-out inspection shows differences
2 months
From the day you returned the keys, in person or by registered letter.
Increase for late return
10%
Of the monthly rent excluding charges, for each month of delay that has started. Not due if the delay is because you did not give your new address.
Final date in the letter
8 days
Usual in practice, but no rule sets the period. You can choose up to 30 days.
Interest at the legal rate
Not claimed
For a late return, the letter claims the statutory increase above instead, if you choose.
Limitation period
3 years
From the day the deposit should have been returned.
Court
Juge des contentieux de la protection
Whatever the amount. You do not need a lawyer.
How to send it
Registered post
Lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception (LRAR). Send it by email too.

What French law says about the deposit

For a main residence, furnished or not, the landlord must return the deposit within 1 month of the day you returned the keys if the move-out inspection (état des lieux de sortie) matches the one made when you moved in. If it shows differences, the period is 2 months. The landlord may keep back only sums you still owe them that are properly justified.

If the deposit comes back late, the amount still owed goes up by 10% of the monthly rent, excluding charges, for each month of delay that has started. The increase applies once the period has passed, whether or not you send a letter. It is not due if the delay is because you did not give the landlord your new address.

What the letter does

It names the tenancy, the deposit and the day you returned the keys and, if this was the case, says that the move-out inspection matched the move-in one. If the return period has passed, the letter says so and acts as a formal notice (mise en demeure). If the period may still be running, it asks for the deposit by a date after the period ends. It disputes the deductions you disagree with, points out that deductions must be backed by documents, and gives a final date. If you choose, it also claims the increase the law provides for late return.

If the landlord still does not pay

Deposit claims go to the juge des contentieux de la protection whatever the amount, and you do not need a lawyer. Up to a set amount, you must first try to settle, through a conciliateur de justice, mediation or a participatory procedure. The government guide, service-public.gouv.fr, also lists the commission départementale de conciliation, which deals with deposit disputes. Above that amount you may go straight to the judge. The escalation memo in the Complete pack explains the route.

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 formal noticeComplete

    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

When does the landlord's period start?

On the day you returned the keys. The landlord has 1 month if the move-out inspection matches the move-in one, and 2 months if it does not.

Can my landlord keep money for repairs or cleaning?

Only sums you still owe them that are properly justified. The letter does not claim that no deduction is ever allowed. It lists the deductions you dispute and why, so the landlord has to answer them.

Does the increase apply if I do not send a letter?

Yes. It applies once the return period has passed, unless the delay is because you did not give your new address.

Does this apply to a furnished flat?

Yes, if it was your main residence: the same return periods and the same increase apply.

How long can I wait?

You must go to court within 3 years of the day the deposit should have been returned.

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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Start your letter

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