Move-out papers · tenant-side · United States

Did they keep the deposit after you handed back the keys?

You cleaned. You took photos. You left the keys on the counter. Weeks later the check has not shown up. Or they sent a list of paint and carpet that looks like the apartment you already lived in. Calling the office gets a voicemail. A text is not a paper trail.

The Deposit File is the papers for that move-out. Condition report. Photo log. Keys and forwarding address. A written request to send the money. A demand if they miss the window. A line-by-line dispute if they deduct. A mail log. A small-claims worksheet if you have to go that far.

I want this — $6 Pay once. One household, one move-out.
Sample demand letter: Maya Chen asking Pine & Co. Property to return a $1,650 deposit for unit 4B
Sample demand · print size
$6Once. One household, one move-out.
US LetterPrint at 100%. Mail it.
United StatesYou look up the deadline. We will not invent a statute.

What’s inside

What you send instead of another text to the office.

Open in Chrome. Type. Print. Mail preferred. Certified if the deposit is large. Instant download — the zip is yours the minute you pay.

  1. 00

    Setup

    Your name, forwarding address, phone, email. Landlord or property manager. The unit, the deposit, move-in, move-out, lease end. A logo box if you want one. A household does not need a logo.

  2. 01

    Condition report

    Room by room: living, kitchen, bath, bedroom, then Add room for whatever else the unit has. Add line for every item you care about. No cap. A photo log with date, room, what the photo shows, and the file name.

  3. 02

    Keys and forwarding

    Apartment keys, mailbox, fob, garage remote. Date and time you actually handed them over. The address the deposit check should use — not the unit you left.

  4. 03

    Return request

    The polite letter you send on move-out day. Please send the money here. If you deduct, send an itemized list and receipts. A blank for your state’s return window. You look that number up. We do not fill it in.

  5. 04

    Demand

    They missed the window, or they sent nothing. Formal demand. You write the state. You do not invent a code section. A blank for how many days they have to answer this letter. Send it certified.

  6. 05

    Dispute deductions

    They sent a list. You dispute the specific lines — not “wear and tear” in the air. Add line for every extra deduction. Ask for a receipt on each one they keep.

  7. 06

    Certified mail log

    Date, what you sent, tracking number, result. One row per envelope. Keep the receipts.

  8. 07

    Small-claims worksheet

    Not a court filing. Amounts, dates, an evidence checklist. Look up your county’s small-claims limit and how to file. We will not invent that form.

  9. 08

    Find your deadline

    How to search the official state site and the attorney general’s tenant page. Write the number you found, the URL, and the date. No 50-state table. Wrong law is worse than a blank.

  10. 09

    Three emails

    Return request, demand, dispute as plain .txt if you need a same-day copy. Mail is still preferred.

  11. 10

    Tracker

    One row for this move-out. Dates, amounts, what is still owed. Excel or CSV.

  12. 11

    Filled sample

    Maya Chen, unit 4B at 188 Oak Street, Cedar Hollow — a fictional city. Deposit $1,650. Move-out August 31, 2026. Landlord Pine & Co. Property. Condition report, return request, demand. HTML, PDF, and print-size pictures. Do not mail the sample.

How it works

You buy. You print. You mail it on the day you hand over the keys.

  1. 1
    Buy. You get the zip immediately. Open start-here. Open Setup. Type your name, forwarding address, the landlord, the unit, the deposit, the dates.
  2. 2
    Day 0 is move-out. Walk the unit. Fill the condition report. Log every photo. Fill keys and forwarding. Send the return request that day. Mail preferred. Certified if the deposit is large.
  3. 3
    Wait YOUR state’s window. You look it up. Open Find-your-deadline. Use an official .gov page. Write the number on the return request and in the tracker. We will not invent a statute, a form number, or a 50-state chart.
  4. 4
    If they stall, keep writing. Nothing came back: send the demand certified. They sent a deduction list: dispute the lines and ask for receipts. Still nothing, and the amount is worth it: fill the worksheet, then look up how your county actually files small claims.

Who this is for

If the keys are already on the counter and the check is not.

For you if

You are a tenant in the United States. You paid a deposit. You are moving out, or you already did, and you want that money back in writing — not in a voicemail.

  • You can walk the unit, or you still have the photos
  • You will look up your state’s return window yourself
  • You would rather mail a letter than argue in a group chat

Not for you if

This will not replace a lawyer, a statute, or a court clerk.

  • You are outside the United States
  • You are a landlord, a property manager, or you need an eviction notice — this kit is tenant-side only
  • You want us to invent a code section, a deadline, or a 50-state table
  • You are already in a lawsuit — stop using templates and talk to a person

One time

$6

Pay once. One household, one move-out.

Not a monthly fee. The files stay on your computer. United States only. Instant download.

I want this — $6

This is a template kit. It is not legal advice, not a lawyer, and not a promise they will return the money. Security-deposit deadlines and small-claims rules vary by state and county and change. You look those up. We will not invent a statute, a form number, or a deadline. This kit is not an eviction notice and not landlord-side paperwork. One purchase, one household, one move-out. United States only. Buyer assumes the risk.

The Deposit File $6 · once
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