> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vaquill.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Security Deposit Demand Letter
> State-specific demand letter citing the statutory return deadline and bad-faith penalty, and setting up a small-claims filing
This workflow surfaces in **QuillDraft**, the landlord-tenant product. It is filtered out of the Vaquill in-house gallery.
**Best for:** a tenant who moved out, did not get the deposit back on time, and wants the statute-backed demand letter that comes before small claims.
Generates a state-specific demand letter citing the statutory return deadline and the bad-faith penalty, demanding the money back and setting up a small-claims filing. This is the documented first step every small-claims judge expects to see.
| | |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Category | Litigation |
| Jurisdiction | US |
| Practice areas | Landlord-tenant, consumer protection |
| Runtime | 3-8 minutes |
## What you need
**No documents.** This workflow runs entirely from the form.
## Inputs
| Field | Type | Required | Notes |
| ------------------------------------------ | ---------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **State where the rental is located** | Select | **Yes** | Drives the statutory return deadline (California 21 days, New York 14, Texas 30), the itemization rule, and the bad-faith penalty the letter cites. |
| **Your name** | Party name | **Yes** | Tenant. |
| **Your forwarding address** | Long text | **Yes** | **Providing a written forwarding address is itself a legal step.** In several states the deposit clock starts when the landlord receives it. |
| **Landlord / property manager name** | Party name | **Yes** | |
| Landlord address | Long text | No | Where the letter will be mailed. |
| **Rental unit address** | Long text | **Yes** | |
| **Deposit you paid** | Text | **Yes** | |
| **Amount not returned** | Text | **Yes** | The dollar amount you are demanding back. |
| **Move-out date** | Date | **Yes** | When you returned possession. The statutory deadline counts from here in most states. |
| Date you gave a written forwarding address | Date | No | In some states the deadline runs from this date instead of move-out. |
| Deductions you dispute | Long text | No | Describe what the landlord claimed and why it is normal wear and tear rather than damage. |
| Days you will give the landlord to pay | Select | No | 7, 10, 14, or 21 days. Defaults to 14. |
| Tone | Select | No | Collaborative · firm · final warning. Defaults to firm. |
## How it runs
A drafting pipeline: `prepare → generate → export`. The state selects the governing statute, its deadline, and its penalty provision; the letter is generated from your figures and dates and exported as DOCX.
## What you get
| Artifact | Format | Contents |
| ---------------------------------- | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Security Deposit Demand Letter** | DOCX | The demand with the statutory deadline, the bad-faith penalty, your itemized dispute, and the small-claims escalation. |
## What this will not do
* File the small-claims case or serve the landlord for you.
* Guarantee the deposit will be returned or that a court will award penalties.
* Confirm the exact current deadline, penalty multiplier, or filing rules for your state. Verify these before relying on them.
* Calculate your precise statutory damages or represent you at the hearing.
## Related
If the tenancy ended in an eviction case.
The general-purpose demand letter for other claim types.