Tools · Security Deposit
Oklahoma Security Deposit Demand Letter
A written request for the return of your deposit, with the Oklahoma statute (Okla. Stat. tit. 41, §115), the 45 days after three things happen: the tenancy ends, you hand back possession, and you make a written demand deadline, and the penalty the law provides already filled in. Add your dates and amount, then copy or print it.
Oklahoma 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 Okla. Stat. tit. 41, §115, a landlord must return the deposit, or provide an itemized statement of any deductions, within 45 days after three things happen: the tenancy ends, you hand back possession, and you make a written demand after the termination of the tenancy, delivery of possession, and written demand by the tenant, whichever is last; if you never make a written demand within six months after the tenancy ends, the deposit reverts to the landlord.
Where a deposit is wrongfully withheld, the statute provides: If a landlord fails to comply with Section 115 or fails to return prepaid rent owed to the tenant, the tenant may recover the security deposit and any prepaid rent. Oklahoma courts have also awarded the tenant reasonable attorney fees where the landlord retained the deposit in bad faith. Separately, misappropriating the deposit from the escrow account is a crime: up to six months in county jail and a fine of up to twice the amount taken.
I request the return of my deposit of $________________, or the itemized statement the statute requires, as provided by Okla. Stat. tit. 41, §115. Please send it to me at the mailing address below.
Sincerely,
________________
________________
The citation, deadline, and penalty above come from Okla. Stat. tit. 41, §115. Full rule and exceptions: Oklahoma security deposit reference. If the deposit is not returned, money disputes this size are what small claims court handles: see the Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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.