Sample letter · Texas

A Texas security deposit demand letter, when the deduction list came late

This is the full letter the Demand Letter Companion wrote for a fictional Austin tenant. She gave a written forwarding address when she moved out, and the landlord’s list of deductions arrived three weeks after the 30-day deadline, keeping $1,350 of a $1,500 deposit. Names and addresses are blurred, as they would be on a real letter.

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Texas's deposit rules at a glance

The rules this letter is built on, checked against the statute on October 25, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Deadline: 30 days after the tenant surrenders the unit to refund the deposit, or send a written, itemized list of deductions.Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.103, 92.104
Forwarding address: The landlord doesn’t have to act until the tenant gives a written forwarding address. Not giving one doesn’t cost the tenant the deposit.Tex. Prop. Code § 92.107
Normal wear and tear: The landlord may not keep any part of the deposit for normal wear and tear.Tex. Prop. Code § 92.104(b)
Burden of proof: The landlord has to prove that keeping any part of the deposit was reasonable.Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109(c)
Missing the deadline: A landlord who misses the 30 days is presumed to have acted in bad faith, and a landlord who in bad faith gives no itemized list forfeits the right to keep any of the deposit.Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109(b), (d)
Penalty: For bad-faith withholding, $100 plus three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney’s fees. Not automatic; the landlord can try to rebut bad faith.Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109(a)
Small claims: Justice court hears claims up to $20,000.Tex. Gov’t Code § 27.031

Sample Fictional case · names and addresses blurred

October 29, 2026

Priya [redacted]
[redacted]
Austin, TX 78745

[redacted] Residential LLC
[redacted]
Austin, TX 78731

Re: Demand for return of security deposit — [redacted], Austin, TX 78745

Dear [redacted] Residential LLC:

I demand return of the remaining $1,350.00 of my security deposit.

I rented the property identified above under a lease running from June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026, and paid a $1,500.00 security deposit. I moved out, surrendered possession, and provided my written forwarding address on May 31, 2026¹. I retained a photo of the signed office move-out form containing that address. I received a $150.00 refund and your itemized statement on July 21, 2026.

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103 and Tex. Prop. Code § 92.104, you had 30 days from May 31, 2026—until June 30, 2026¹—to return the security deposit and send the itemized list of deductions. You failed to do either by that deadline. Both were completed on July 21, 2026, 21 days late. These missed deadlines are independent of whether any particular deduction was justified.

I also dispute all three deductions, which total $1,350.00:

Cleaning — $300.00. I paid for professional cleaning before move-out and have the $180.00 receipt, as well as photos of the unit's condition. I dispute the entire cleaning charge.
Carpet replacement — $650.00. I dispute this charge because the carpet showed only ordinary wear and tear. The leasing agent told me the carpet was about seven years old when I moved in. I rely on its age as further support for my dispute of the replacement charge.
Repainting — $400.00. I dispute this charge because the walls had only ordinary scuffs after one year, with no damage.

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109(c), you have the burden of proving¹ that keeping each disputed amount was reasonable.

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109(a), (d), the missed 30-day deadlines create a rebuttable presumption of bad faith¹. If a judge finds that you wrongfully withheld the full $1,350.00 in bad faith, I may recover a total statutory damages award of $4,150.00, calculated as three times $1,350.00 plus $100.00, together with reasonable attorney's fees. This recovery depends on a finding of bad faith; it is not automatic.² The $4,150.00 is potential recovery, not my immediate settlement request.

My immediate settlement request is $1,350.00, payable by November 12, 2026¹. To resolve this matter without litigation, I am willing to accept that amount, which is lower than the potential $4,150.00 statutory recovery described above.

I would prefer to resolve this matter without litigation.

If I do not receive payment by November 12, 2026, I will file a complaint in small claims court without further notice.

Please mail payment by check or money order to my address above.

Sincerely,

____________________________
Priya [redacted]

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 →New YorkNo refund and no statement within 14 days; the whole $2,400 is owed.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.