Florida Tenants
A professional demand letter citing Florida Statutes § 83.49, the return deadlines, and the forfeiture rule when a landlord misses the notice window. Ready in minutes.
Deadline
15 / 30 days
to return your deposit after move-out
Penalty
Forfeiture
of the right to claim, if notice is missed
Statute
§ 83.49
Florida Statutes
Under Florida Statutes § 83.49, if your landlord intends to return your full deposit they must do so within 15 days. If they intend to keep any part, they must send you written notice of the claim by certified mail within 30 days.
If the landlord fails to send that certified notice of claim within 30 days, the consequences are significant:
A landlord who stays silent past the deadline generally cannot later justify keeping any part of the deposit. Most return it quickly once they realize the forfeiture rule has been triggered.
Which deadline applies: Keeping the entire deposit with only a vague reason still counts as a claim on the whole deposit — that triggers the 30-day certified-notice path, not the 15-day path.
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 Florida's deadlines under § 83.49.
[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 § 83.49, 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 Florida 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]
It depends on the circumstances: 15 days Landlord makes no claim on the deposit (full return intended); 30 days Landlord intends to impose a claim — must send certified written notice within 30 days. If the landlord makes no claim, the deposit is due in 15 days. If the landlord intends to keep any part, they must send certified notice of the claim within 30 days — missing that deadline forfeits the right to any claim.
A landlord who fails to send the required notice of claim within 30 days forfeits the right to impose any claim on the deposit under § 83.49(3)(a), and the tenant may recover the deposit in full.
Florida Statutes § 83.49. We verify these against the statute text itself; the date we last checked is shown on this page.
Sources & verification
The Florida 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 Florida statutes that apply to your situation.
Florida Statutes § 83.49 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 Florida landlords return the deposit within days of receiving a properly drafted demand letter.
Generate my letter — $39