Delaware Tenants
A professional demand letter citing Delaware's security deposit statute (25 Del. C. § 5514), the 20-day return deadline, and the double-damages penalty for wrongful withholding. Ready in minutes.
Deadline
20 days
to return your deposit after move-out
Penalty
2× damages
double the amount wrongfully withheld, § 5514(g)(1)
Statute
§ 5514
Delaware Code, Title 25
Under 25 Del. C. § 5514, your landlord has 20 days after your tenancy ends to return your security deposit or provide a written, itemized list of any deductions.
If the landlord fails to return your deposit or provide the itemized list within 20 days, you may recover:
So a $1,500 deposit wrongfully withheld in full can support a court judgment of $3,000 (twice the amount withheld). Most landlords settle quickly once they realize you know the law.
Good to know: If the landlord failed to disclose the bank or escrow account holding your deposit, that can also forfeit the landlord’s right to keep any of it. Deposits are capped at one month’s rent for leases of one year or longer; higher amounts are allowed for furnished or shorter-term rentals.
Provide a forwarding address: Under § 5514(h), a tenant who does not give a forwarding address relieves the landlord of the double-damages liability (a one-year claim window still remains). Your demand letter supplies your address in writing, which protects that remedy.
Every letter follows the structure courts expect — your facts, the statute, a specific demand, and a deadline. Here's the skeleton; the generator fills the brackets from your answers and computes Delaware's deadlines under § 5514.
[Date]
[Your name]
[Your forwarding address]
[Landlord's name and address]
RE: Security Deposit — Formal Demand for Return of $[Amount]
I am the former tenant of [rental property address]. You accepted a security deposit of $[Amount], and my tenancy ended on [move-out date]. My forwarding address for return of the deposit is stated above, which I am providing to you in writing.
Under § 5514, you were required to [return the deposit or provide an itemized statement] within [the statutory period]. That period has passed, and you have done neither. [The specific consequence Delaware law attaches, cited by section.]
I demand return of $[Amount] no later than [deadline]. If I do not receive it, I am prepared to pursue all remedies available under [statute], including filing suit in the appropriate court.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
20 days after you move out.
A landlord who wrongfully withholds any part of the deposit is liable for double the amount wrongfully withheld under § 5514(g)(1); failing to provide an itemized list forfeits the right to withhold. Separately, a landlord who failed to disclose the account holding your deposit can owe double the full deposit under § 5514(g)(2). A tenant who fails to provide a forwarding address relieves the landlord of double-damages liability under § 5514(h), though a one-year claim window remains.
25 Del. C. § 5514. We verify these against the statute text itself; the date we last checked is shown on this page.
Sources & verification
The Delaware rules on this page were verified against the statute text itself:
Last verified against primary sources on .
How we verify this →Laws change. If you spot something out of date, tell us at support@gettenantshield.com and we'll correct it.
Properly formatted, addressed to your landlord by name, citing the exact Delaware statutes that apply to your situation.
25 Del. C. § 5514 and any others triggered by your circumstances — not generic legalese.
The letter computes the exact dollar amount you're entitled to demand based on your deposit and the deductions at issue.
Download instantly, print, sign, and send via USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt.
Most Delaware landlords return the deposit within days of receiving a properly drafted demand letter.
Generate my letter — $39