Sample letter · Georgia

A Georgia security deposit demand letter, when the landlord charged for damage on the move-in list

This is the full letter the Demand Letter Companion wrote for a fictional Atlanta tenant. Before moving in, she signed the landlord’s list of existing damage, which noted a scratched kitchen counter. At move-out, the landlord kept $1,200 of her $1,500 deposit, including $700 to resurface that counter. Names and addresses are blurred, as they would be on a real letter.

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Georgia's deposit rules at a glance

The rules this letter is built on, checked against the statute on October 30, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Deadline: 30 days after the landlord gets the unit back to return the deposit, or a written statement of the exact reasons for keeping any part of it, with the balance. Mailing it first-class to the tenant’s last known address counts.O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34(a)
Move-in list: Before taking a deposit, the landlord must give the tenant a list of existing damage, which the tenant may check. Once both sign it, the list is conclusive evidence of the condition it records, except for hidden defects.O.C.G.A. § 44-7-33(a)
Move-out list: Within three business days after the tenant leaves, the landlord must inspect and list any damage with estimated costs. The tenant may inspect within five business days.O.C.G.A. § 44-7-33(b)
Normal wear and tear: No part of the deposit may be kept for ordinary wear and tear from normal use of the home.O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34(a)
Penalty: Three times the amount wrongly kept, plus reasonable attorney’s fees. Not automatic: if the landlord proves the withholding was an unintentional good-faith error despite reasonable safeguards, it owes only the amount kept.O.C.G.A. § 44-7-35(c)
Who it covers: Every landlord except an individual who, with spouse and minor children, owns ten or fewer rental units and manages them without a paid manager. A company-owned rental is always covered.O.C.G.A. § 44-7-36
Deposit limit: Two months’ rent, for leases signed or renewed on or after July 1, 2024.O.C.G.A. § 44-7-30.1
Small claims: Magistrate court hears claims up to $15,000; up to $25,000 for cases filed on or after January 1, 2027.O.C.G.A. § 15-10-2(a)(5)

Sample Fictional case · names and addresses blurred

October 30, 2026

Tasha [redacted]
[redacted]
Brunswick, ME 04011

[redacted] Residential LLC
[redacted]
Atlanta, GA 30339

Re: Demand for return of security deposit — [redacted], Atlanta, Georgia 30339

Dear [redacted] Residential LLC:

I am writing to dispute the $1,200.00 in deductions shown in the itemized statement I received on July 27, 2026, and to demand return of that amount.

I rented the property identified above under a lease from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. I paid a $1,500.00 security deposit and moved out and returned possession on June 30, 2026. I received a $300.00 refund and your itemized statement on July 27, 2026.¹ My dispute concerns the lawfulness of the two deductions totaling the remaining $1,200.00.

I dispute the entire $700.00 countertop-resurfacing charge. The existing-damage list signed before I moved in records “kitchen counter scratched near sink.”² Under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-33(a), a pre-move-in damage list signed by both parties is conclusive evidence of the condition it records³, except for hidden defects. I have the signed list and move-out photographs. I should not be charged for resurfacing to address a scratch recorded before my tenancy. Please identify the damage attributed to me and provide the photographs and resurfacing records supporting this charge.

I also dispute the entire $500.00 deep-cleaning charge. I cleaned the apartment thoroughly before leaving and have move-out photographs. A cleaning bill alone would not establish that I owed this charge. Please identify what cleaning was necessary, the lease obligation supporting the charge, and the records supporting the amount.

Under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-35(c), I may recover three times the amount improperly withheld, plus reasonable attorney’s fees. If I establish that the full $1,200.00 was improperly withheld, my potential total recovery is $1,200.00 × 3 = $3,600.00, plus reasonable attorney’s fees⁴. This is potential recovery in court, not my immediate settlement request. My eligibility for that enhanced award depends on a finding of wrongful withholding and the absence of proof that the withholding was unintentional and resulted from a good-faith error⁵ despite procedures reasonably designed to avoid such errors.

To settle this matter now, I request payment of $1,200.00 by November 13, 2026⁶. This settlement request is lower than my potential $3,600.00 recovery in court, plus reasonable attorney’s fees. Please mail payment by check or money order to my address above.

I would prefer to resolve this matter without litigation. If I do not receive payment by November 13, 2026, I will file a complaint in small claims court without further notice.

Sincerely,

____________________________
Tasha [redacted]

What to notice

1
No deadline it can’t back upGeorgia gives the landlord 30 days after getting the unit back. The statement came on day 27, so the letter doesn’t claim anything was late.
2
The landlord’s own list, quotedThe scratch is quoted word for word from the move-in list the landlord prepared and both sides signed.
3
What that list is worthIn Georgia, a signed move-in list is conclusive evidence of the condition it records. The letter cites the rule, so the countertop charge is hard to defend.
4
The math, shownThree times $1,200, plus attorney’s fees, is what a court could award. The letter keeps it separate from what it asks for now.
5
Honest about penaltiesThe landlord can avoid the triple amount by proving an honest, good-faith mistake. The letter says so instead of hiding it.
6
A clear amount and a dateThe $1,200 actually disputed, a two-week deadline, and what happens next if it passes.

Your letter will be different

The Companion builds each letter from your lease, your answers, and your state’s rules. So yours won’t look exactly like this one:

Not every landlord misses a deadline. If yours didn’t, the letter won’t claim it.
Penalties vary a lot by state. Some states have none, some double or triple the deposit, and some require bad faith. Your letter uses your state’s rule.
Your disputes come from your facts — what was there at move-in, what you did at move-out, and what you can show.

You read and approve every word before you print, sign, and mail it.

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More sample letters

CaliforniaStatement sent nine days late; $1,400 kept for carpet and painting.Read the letter →FloridaClaim sent by email, not certified mail; the whole $900 is owed.Read the letter →IllinoisEstimates sent, receipts never followed; the whole $1,100 is owed.Read the letter →MichiganNo list of damages within 30 days and no lawsuit; the whole $1,400 is owed.Read the letter →New YorkNo refund and no statement within 14 days; the whole $2,400 is owed.Read the letter →North CarolinaList 18 days late; no double damages, but a willful finding could cost the landlord the deposit.Read the letter →OhioRepaint and carpet cleaning after three years; $975 disputed as normal wear.Read the letter →PennsylvaniaList eight days late, after a written forwarding address; the whole $1,250 is owed.Read the letter →TexasDeduction list three weeks late; bad faith presumed; $1,350 kept.Read the letter →

All sample letters · Deposit laws by state

This sample shows what the Demand Letter Companion produces for one fictional situation. It is not legal advice, and it is not a template to copy for your own case. Laws and outcomes vary by state and by facts.