Step 1: the demand letter
Make the demand. Let the rules do the talking.
The Demand Letter Companion is a guided web app. It reads your lease, checks your state’s deposit rules, and helps you write a demand letter you approve, one question at a time.
You don’t need to know the law, and you don’t need your own AI subscription. Everything happens here on the site.
If the landlord pays or agrees to an acceptable settlement, the dispute ends there. No court. No hearing.
Start My Demand Letter — $19.99 See How It Works
$19.99 one time, for one case. Legal information and self-help, not legal advice.
What it does
One case. One question at a time. No blank page.
You answer questions about your own situation. The companion keeps track of the order, the rules, and the math.
- 1
Save your private case link
Your case gets its own private link, and a copy is emailed to you. There’s no account or password to remember.
- 2
Upload your lease
A PDF, a Word file, or photos of each page. The app pulls out the address, dates, deposit, rent, landlord, co-tenants, and the clauses that matter. You check every fact and fix anything it got wrong.
- 3
Tell it what happened
Plain questions about what you paid, when you moved out, what came back, and what the landlord charged you for. For each charge, you decide whether to accept it, dispute all of it, or dispute part of it.
- 4
See what your state’s rules say
Return deadlines, penalties, deduction rules, and the small-claims limit, each with its legal citation. If the landlord missed a deadline, the app works out by how many days and what that can mean.
- 5
Choose what to ask for
Your disputed amount comes first. If your state allows extra damages, they’re explained in plain words, and including them is your choice. The letter asks for the money now and notes what a court could award.
- 6
Approve your letter
Every draft is checked against your confirmed facts and the rules for your case before you see it. You read it, approve it, and download a Word document.
- 7
Mail it the right way
Step-by-step certified-mail instructions, so you have proof the landlord received it. Record the mailing date, and the app keeps your response deadline.
- 8
Come back when the landlord answers
Payment, a partial offer, a refusal, or silence: the companion helps you understand where you stand. It doesn’t make the settlement decision for you.
Made a mistake? Fix it. You don’t have to start over.
Every saved fact can be changed in “Your case facts”. The app redoes only what that change affects and tells you before anything already finished is cleared.
Why trust it?
Built so the AI doesn’t have to guess.
This is legal self-help, not a law firm, and AI can make mistakes. That’s why the parts where a guess would hurt you aren’t left to the AI.
Don’t guess when you can verify.
The rules come from a table, not memory
Deadlines, penalties, and deduction rules for all 50 states and DC are built in, each with its legal citation and the date it was last checked.
The app does the date math
Whether a deadline was missed, and by how many days, is calculated from your confirmed dates, not estimated.
You confirm the facts
Nothing from your lease is used until you’ve checked it. The summary of your case is shown to you before the rules are applied.
Every letter is checked first
Drafts are reviewed automatically before you see them. A letter that cites law not covered by the rules for your case is rejected.
You make the decisions
Which charges to dispute, whether to claim extra damages, and whether to accept an offer are always yours to decide.
It says when a case doesn’t fit
If your deposit is above the small-claims limit or the time to bring a claim has passed, it tells you plainly and stops, and you can request a refund.
Your information
Private by default. Deleted when you’re done.
- Your case opens only with your private link. A copy is emailed to you, and you can get a new one anytime from the address you used at checkout.
- Your case is deleted automatically 180 days after your last visit.
- You can delete it yourself at any time, uploaded files included.
- We don’t sell your information. Privacy Policy
If the landlord says no
Step 2, court forms and case prep, is in development.
Most deposit disputes end at the demand. For the ones that don’t, Step 2 will cover deciding whether to file, the small-claims forms for your court, serving the landlord, organizing evidence, and preparing for the hearing.
It’s being built to pick up from your saved case, so you won’t start over. It isn’t for sale yet, and nothing about Step 1 depends on it.
A good fit if
You want to handle it yourself, with structure.
- You paid a residential security deposit in the U.S.
- You moved out and some or all of it was kept
- The deductions look unfair, inflated, vague, late, or unsupported
- You want to know what your state’s rules actually say
- You’re willing to send a formal demand letter
- You don’t want to spend lawyer-level money on a deposit dispute
Probably not a fit if
You need representation or a different kind of case.
- You want an attorney to represent you
- You are dealing with an eviction
- You still live in the unit
- Your main claim is personal injury, discrimination, or harassment
- Your deposit is larger than your state’s small-claims limit
- You want a guaranteed result
What it costs to begin
You don’t have to fund a lawsuit to make a serious demand.
- The Demand Letter Companion$19.99
- An AI subscriptionnot needed
- Certified mail for the letterabout $10
- To send a serious demandabout $30
If the dispute resolves after the demand, that is the whole cost. You never pay a small-claims filing or service fee.
The point isn’t to make court sound free or effortless. It’s that you can get organized, understand your claim, and make a credible demand before deciding whether court is worth the next investment of time and money.
If we can’t help, you don’t pay
If the app finds your case is outside what it handles, you get your $19.99 back.
Some cases don’t fit a small-claims demand letter. For example, the deposit may be above your state’s small-claims limit, or the time to bring a claim may have run out. If the Demand Letter Companion stops your case for a reason like that, you can request a full refund.
Ready when you are
Make a serious demand without committing yourself to court today.
Upload your lease, see what your state’s rules say, and finish with a letter you’ve approved. If the landlord resolves it, you’re done.
$19.99
One-time purchase for one case. No AI subscription needed.
Start My Demand Letter — $19.99
Not ready to buy? Find out where you stand for free first.