Tools · Security Deposit
Delaware Security Deposit Demand Letter
A written request for the return of your deposit, with the Delaware statute (25 Del. C. §5514), the 20 days deadline, and the penalty the law provides already filled in. Add your dates and amount, then copy or print it.
Delaware 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.
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 25 Del. C. §5514, a landlord must return the deposit, or provide an itemized statement of any deductions, within 20 days after the rental agreement expires or terminates; the landlord must both return any deposit not owed and provide an itemized list of damages within the same 20 days.
Where a deposit is wrongfully withheld, the statute provides: If the landlord does not return the deposit, or the balance after the itemized list, within 20 days, the tenant can recover double the amount wrongfully withheld (25 Del. C. 5514(g)(1)). Separately, if the landlord fails to disclose the account location within 20 days of a written request, or never placed the deposit in a Delaware escrow account, the landlord forfeits the whole deposit; not returning it within 20 days of that forfeiture makes the landlord liable for double the full deposit (5514(g)(2)).
I request the return of my deposit of $________________, or the itemized statement the statute requires, as provided by 25 Del. C. §5514. Please send it to me at the mailing address below.
Sincerely,
________________
________________
The citation, deadline, and penalty above come from 25 Del. C. §5514. Full rule and exceptions: Delaware security deposit reference. If the deposit is not returned, money disputes this size are what small claims court handles: see the Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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.