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Security Deposit Dispute Response

A landlord's reply to a tenant who disputes deposit deductions, answering each point against the evidence and ending in a revised refund or balance.

Context to provide

Rather fill it in yourself? Download (.docx + .csv) · No account needed

What you get

One document, with the spreadsheet that goes with it

RiverSecurity Deposit Dispute Response

Response to Your Security Deposit Dispute

[Landlord or management company name]
[Mailing address]
[Phone] | [Email]

[Date of this letter]

Sent by [delivery method, e.g. first-class mail, certified mail or email] to:
[Tenant's full name, and every other tenant on the lease]
[Forwarding address the tenant gave you]

Property: [Rental property address and unit]
Your letter: dated [Date of tenant's letter], received [Date received]

Dear [Tenant's name],

Thank you for your [letter / email] about the security deposit for the property above. I have reviewed each point you raised against the lease, the move-in and move-out inspection reports, the photographs and the invoices. My response to each point is below, followed by the revised amount.

Where things stand

Amount
Deposit and any required interest held$[Amount]
Deductions in my itemized statement dated [Date]$[Amount]
Deductions withdrawn or reduced in this letter-$[Amount]
Revised deductions$[Amount]
Revised refund to you or Balance you owe$[Amount]

Response to each point

Point 1: [Charge, e.g. Carpet replacement, bedroom 2, $Amount]

  • You said: [The tenant's objection, summarized fairly in one or two sentences.]
  • The record shows: [Condition at move-in and its evidence; condition at move-out and its evidence; the invoice; the lease clause.]
  • My decision: [Charge stands / Reduced to $__ because __ / Withdrawn.]

Point 2: [Charge and amount]

  • You said: [Objection]
  • The record shows: [Evidence]
  • My decision: [Decision]

Point 3: [Charge and amount]

  • You said: [Objection]
  • The record shows: [Evidence]
  • My decision: [Decision]

[Answer every point the tenant raised, including any about the deadline or delivery of your original statement. Reduce or withdraw a charge the evidence does not support, such as one with no move-in record to compare against, or wear from normal use. Several states penalize a landlord who keeps a deposit in bad faith.]

Next steps

[If a refund is due:] A [check / electronic payment] for $[Revised refund] is [enclosed / will be sent by Date].

[If a balance is owed:] Please pay $[Balance] by [Date] by [Payment method].

If you still disagree after reading this, I am open to [a call or meeting on Dates / mediation through Local program]. Please reply in writing by [Date].

[Keep the tone factual. Do not threaten any step you do not intend to take or that your state does not allow.]

Enclosures

  • My itemized statement dated [Date]
  • Exhibit A: Move-in and move-out inspection reports
  • Exhibit B: Photographs, numbered and dated
  • Exhibit C: Invoices, receipts or estimates
  • Dispute Evidence Table

Sincerely,

[Signature]
[Your name]
[Owner / Property manager], [Company]

[This template is a drafting aid, not legal advice. Deposit rules vary by state and sometimes by city. Delete this note before sending.]

Page 1 of 3431 words

A tenant's dispute letter is rarely about every charge. It is usually about two or three that felt unfair, and a reply that simply repeats the original statement makes those two or three look worse. The stakes are real. California allows up to twice the deposit on top of actual damages for a bad-faith claim or retention, and Texas lets a tenant recover three times the amount wrongfully withheld. A careful, point-by-point answer is how a landlord shows good faith.

This pack holds one document and one sheet. The response opens with where things stand: the deposit held, the original deductions, what this letter withdraws or reduces, and the revised refund or balance. Each disputed charge then gets three lines: what the tenant said, what the record shows, and a decision. Next steps and an enclosures list close it. The Dispute Evidence Table sits behind the letter, with one row per disputed charge and the move-in and move-out evidence side by side.

Filling the table first is the point. A charge with no move-in record, or an invoice that does not match the amount, shows up before the letter goes out rather than in small claims court. Open it in River and the agent reads the tenant's letter and your records, fills the table, and drafts each answer. Or download both blank. The landlord letter generator starts from a description. The original itemization letter is the statement this replies to.

What's in the template

01

Security Deposit Dispute Response

The reply itself: where things stand, an answer to each disputed charge, next steps, enclosures, and room to offer a call or mediation.

02

Dispute Evidence Table

One row per disputed charge with the tenant's objection, the lease clause, move-in and move-out evidence, the cost proof, and the decision.

03

Where things stand

A five-line table that shows the tenant what changed since the first statement, including any charge this letter withdraws or reduces.

04

Three lines per point

What you said, what the record shows, my decision. The tenant sees their own objection stated fairly before the answer.

05

Room to back down

Each decision can stand, drop to a lower figure or be withdrawn. Conceding one weak charge often settles the rest.

06

A factual close

Payment or refund terms, a reply date, and an offer to talk, with a reminder not to threaten a step you will not take.

How to use it

  1. 1

    Open in River, or download it

    Open the template in River and have the agent work from the tenant's letter and your records, or download the blank Word reply and CSV table.

  2. 2

    List the tenant's points

    Put every charge the tenant disputes in the Dispute Evidence Table, in their order, with their objection in a sentence.

  3. 3

    Check each one against the record

    Compare move-in with move-out evidence and the invoice for each charge, and decide whether it stands, is reduced, or is withdrawn.

  4. 4

    Reply with the revised amount

    Answer each point in the letter from the table, show the revised refund or balance, and send it with the exhibits.

Frequently asked questions

Should I just refund the whole deposit to make it go away?

Sometimes that is the cheapest answer, but decide charge by charge. Keep the charges your evidence supports and drop the ones it does not. A partial concession in writing, with reasons, often ends the dispute. Refunding everything without review can also be the right call when the original statement went out late.

What if my original statement was late or incomplete?

Check your state's rule before replying, because it can change everything. New York, for example, forfeits a landlord's right to keep any of the deposit when the itemized statement misses its 14-day deadline. If that happened, the fairest reply is usually a prompt refund. Ask a local attorney if you are unsure.

What evidence carries the most weight?

Dated photos of the same spot at move-in and move-out, a signed inspection checklist, and an invoice or receipt for the actual work. A charge backed only by a move-out photo is weaker, because nothing shows the condition when the tenant arrived. The table marks that gap in the move-in column. A lease violation notice sent during the tenancy counts too.

The tenant threatened small claims court. What now?

Answer the same way, calmly and point by point, and keep everything. If the tenant files, this letter, the evidence table and the exhibits are what you will bring. Some courts and cities offer mediation for landlord and tenant disputes, and the letter has a place to suggest it.

What format are the downloaded files?

The reply downloads as a Word document (.docx) and the evidence table as a CSV (.csv), free and without signing up. Both open in common word processors and spreadsheets. In River they open as a Doc and Sheet the agent fills from the tenant's letter, with gaps marked for you to confirm.

Does River tell me who is right?

No. It lines each charge up against your evidence and flags the ones that look thin, but the decision and the letter are yours. It is a drafting aid, not legal advice. For a large amount or a threatened lawsuit, a local attorney or tenant-landlord mediation service is the better judge.

Sources

  1. California Legislative InformationCalifornia Code, CIV 1950.5 (opens in a new tab)
  2. guides.sll.texas.govGuides: Landlord/Tenant Law: Security Deposit Refunds (opens in a new tab)
  3. nysenate.govForfeits a landlord's right to keep any of the deposit (opens in a new tab)

Written by

Chandler Supple

Co-founder & CEO, River

Chandler has spent the last six years working in AI, building tools for millions of users and Fortune 100 companies. In 2025, he co-founded River to build a new kind of operating system for AI agents.

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Reviewed by

Brian Joseff, Co-founder, River

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Related tools and templates

Landlord letter generator

Paste the tenant's letter, pick your state, and get this response drafted point by point.

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The original statement of deductions, for the next move-out.

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Answer every disputed charge on the evidence

Download the blank reply and evidence table, or open them in River and have each charge checked against your records.

Edit with AI