Tools · Security Deposit
Arkansas Security Deposit Demand Letter
A written request for the return of your deposit, with the Arkansas statute (Ark. Code §§18-16-303 to 18-16-306), the 60 days deadline, and the penalty the law provides already filled in. Add your dates and amount, then copy or print it.
Arkansas deposit demand letter generator
This is a general template for a common situation, not legal advice and not a substitute for a lawyer's review of your case. Blanks you leave empty print as lines you can fill in by hand.
The Arkansas figures in this letter are Cited, not yet re-confirmed against the official source. Check the citation on the Arkansas reference page before sending.
Re: Return of the security deposit for ________________
Dear ________________,
I was a tenant at ________________ and moved out on ________________. My security deposit of $________________ has not been returned.
Under Ark. Code §§18-16-303 to 18-16-306, a landlord must return the deposit, or provide an itemized statement of any deductions, within 60 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant hands back possession.
Where a deposit is wrongfully withheld, the statute provides: If a landlord bound by the statute wrongfully keeps a deposit, the tenant can recover the property and money owed, damages equal to two times the amount wrongfully withheld, court costs, and reasonable attorney's fees (Ark. Code 18-16-306). A landlord can limit the recovery to the amount actually owed by showing the violation came from a good faith error or a genuine dispute over what was due.
I request the return of my deposit of $________________, or the itemized statement the statute requires, as provided by Ark. Code §§18-16-303 to 18-16-306. Please send it to me at the mailing address below.
Sincerely,
________________
________________
The citation, deadline, and penalty above come from Ark. Code §§18-16-303 to 18-16-306. Full rule and exceptions: Arkansas security deposit reference. If the deposit is not returned, money disputes this size are what small claims court handles: see the Arkansas limit.
Why a written demand, and what this letter does
A dated, written request is usually the first step a court or a legal-aid office will ask about, and in some states it is what starts or preserves the penalty. This letter states the facts: your tenancy, your move-out date, the deadline Arkansas law sets, and what the statute provides when a deposit is wrongfully withheld. It asks for what the law already requires, and it leaves any decision about going further entirely to you.
The template is informational only and not legal advice. If your situation has wrinkles (deductions you dispute, a lease that shifted the deadline, a local ordinance), check the Arkansas security deposit reference or talk to a lawyer or local legal aid before sending.
Deposit demand letters for other states
Same template, each with its own citation, deadline, and penalty.