Sample letter · Illinois

An Illinois security deposit demand letter, when the landlord sent estimates but never the receipts

This is the full letter the Demand Letter Companion wrote for a fictional Springfield tenant. The landlord kept $1,100 of a $1,300 deposit for carpet and cleaning. Its statement listed estimates, and the paid receipts Illinois requires never followed. Names and addresses are blurred, as they would be on a real letter.

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Illinois'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.

Who it covers: Every residential landlord who takes a deposit. The old limit to buildings of 5 or more units ended on January 1, 2024.765 ILCS 710/1, as amended by P.A. 103-224
Itemized statement: To keep anything for damage, the landlord must send an itemized statement within 30 days after the tenant moves out (or the right to possession ends, if later), with paid receipts. If it lists estimates instead, the paid receipts must follow within 30 days.765 ILCS 710/1(a)
How it’s delivered: In person, by mail, or by email to an address the tenant gave.765 ILCS 710/1(a)
Missing it: A landlord who doesn’t provide the statement and receipts must return the full deposit within 45 days after the tenant moves out.765 ILCS 710/1(a)
Normal wear and tear: Charges, including cleaning or repair costs set in the lease, must be for damage beyond normal wear and tear.765 ILCS 710/1(a)
Penalty: If a court finds the landlord refused to provide the statement or provided it in bad faith, and didn’t return the deposit on time, twice the deposit due plus court costs and attorney’s fees. Not automatic.765 ILCS 710/1(c)
Chicago: Chicago rentals also fall under the city’s own ordinance, which has stricter deposit rules.Chicago Mun. Code § 5-12-080
Small claims: Claims up to $10,000.Ill. S. Ct. Rule 281

Sample Fictional case · names and addresses blurred

October 30, 2026

Hannah [redacted]
[redacted]
Springfield, IL 62704

[redacted] Apartments LLC
[redacted]
Springfield, IL 62711

Re: Demand for return of security deposit — [redacted], Springfield, IL 62704

Dear [redacted] Apartments LLC:

I am writing to demand return of $1,100.00 of my security deposit.

I rented the property identified above from September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026, and paid a $1,300.00 security deposit. I moved out and returned possession on August 31, 2026. On September 22, 2026, I received an itemized statement and a $200.00 refund.

Under 765 ILCS 710/1(a), you had until September 30, 2026¹ to send an itemized statement with paid receipts for repairs, or copies of estimates followed by paid receipts within 30 days². The September 22, 2026 statement included estimates, but you did not provide the required paid receipts by October 22, 2026³. You therefore never furnished the statement and receipts required by law. You have forfeited the right to keep any part of my deposit for damage⁴ and must return the remaining $1,100.00, regardless of the merits of the deductions.

Even apart from that, the deductions themselves were improper. I dispute the entire $700.00 charge for carpet repair and cleaning because the carpet had only normal wear after one year. Under 765 ILCS 710/1(a), damage charges, including lease-specified charges, must be for damage beyond normal wear and tear.

I also dispute the entire $400.00 general cleaning charge. I left the unit empty and cleaned, with clean floors, and my move-out photos show its condition. Under 765 ILCS 710/1(a), a lease-specified cleaning charge must be for a condition beyond normal wear and tear.

Under 765 ILCS 710/1(c), if a judge finds that you refused to provide the required itemized statement or provided it in bad faith, and failed to return the deposit due on time, my potential recovery in court is twice the amount due: $1,100.00 × 2 = $2,200.00 total, plus court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees. This enhanced recovery is not automatic; it requires the judge’s finding.⁵ The $2,200.00 is my potential recovery in court, not what I am asking for now.

To resolve this matter now, I am willing to accept $1,100.00 if received by November 13, 2026⁶. If this matter is not resolved, I will seek the larger statutory recovery and other relief the law allows.

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.

Payment may be made by check or money order, mailed to my address above.

Sincerely,

____________________________
Hannah [redacted]

What to notice

1
The deadline math, done for youMove-out August 31, plus 30 days, is September 30. The statement came on September 22, in time.
2
Illinois’s receipt ruleOn time isn’t enough. The statement has to come with paid receipts, or with estimates and the receipts afterward.
3
The follow-up the landlord missedThe estimates came September 22, so the receipts were due 30 days later, October 22. They never came.
4
What that costs the landlordWithout the statement and receipts the law requires, the landlord can’t keep any of it for damage. So the letter asks for the full $1,100, whoever is right about the charges.
5
Honest about penaltiesTwice the amount due is possible, but only if a judge finds refusal or bad faith. The letter says so plainly.
6
A clear amount and a dateThe $1,100 actually kept, a 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 →New YorkNo refund and no statement within 14 days; the whole $2,400 is owed.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.