Georgia Security Deposit Demand Letter
A free Georgia security deposit demand letter that follows Georgia law. Fill in the boxes, check the rules below, then print or copy it. Keep a copy and proof of how you sent it.
What Georgia law says
| Deposit return deadline | Within 30 days after the landlord obtains possession of the unit. The landlord complies by mailing the statement and any refund by first-class mail to the tenant's last known address. If the mailed refund is returned undeliverable and the tenant cannot be located after reasonable effort, it becomes the landlord's property 90 days after mailing. Source: O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34(a) |
|---|---|
| Itemized deductions | If any amount is kept, the landlord must give a written statement of the specific reasons within 30 days, with the itemized damage list if damage is claimed, and the balance due. No deduction for normal wear and tear. Landlords with more than 10 units or a fee-paid management agent must also give a move-in damage list and do a move-out inspection within 3 business days, giving the tenant a signed damage list; the tenant may inspect within 5 business days and sign or note disagreements. Source: O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-33, 44-7-34 |
| Penalty for withholding | Landlord who fails to return any part of a deposit required to be returned is liable for 3 times the amount improperly withheld plus reasonable attorney's fees, unless the landlord shows by a preponderance of the evidence that the withholding was unintentional and a bona fide error despite procedures reasonably adapted to avoid it (then only the amount withheld). Failing to keep the escrow/bond or provide the required damage lists forfeits the right to withhold any part of the deposit. These penalties do not apply to owners of 10 or fewer units without a fee-paid manager, who can still be sued for the amount, interest while withheld, attorney's fees, and filing costs. |
| Wear and tear / move-out charges | A landlord may not keep any part of the deposit for ordinary wear and tear from using the premises as intended, as long as there was no negligence, carelessness, accident, or abuse by the tenant, household members, invitees, or guests. Deductions are allowed for unpaid rent and late fees, abandonment, unpaid utilities, repair or cleaning the tenant contracted for with third parties, unpaid pet fees, and actual damages from the tenant's breach (with mitigation). The state handbook adds that repair charges should reflect the item's condition at move-in (e.g., the value of a ten-year-old carpet, not a new one) and must be reasonable, and that landlords generally are not responsible for carpet cleaning during the tenancy unless the lease says so. |
Fill in your letter
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To: [landlord or manager name], [landlord address]
From: [your name], former tenant at [rental address]
I moved out and returned the keys on [move-out date]. I paid a security deposit of $[deposit amount]. I gave you my forwarding address in writing on [date you gave your address].
Under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34(a), a landlord must return the deposit, or send an itemized list of lawful deductions, by the deadline set in that law. I have not received [the deposit / an itemized list].
Please send $[amount owed] to [forwarding address] within [number] days of this letter.
If I do not receive it, I plan to file a claim in small claims court and ask for any additional amount allowed by O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-35, 44-7-36; Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook (DCA, rev. 8-29-24), pp. 15-16.
Date: [today's date]
Tenant: [your name]
Signature: ____________________
How to send it: use a method you can prove — certified mail with return receipt, or email/text if your lease allows notices that way. Write down the date.
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General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.