Kentucky Tenants
A professional demand letter citing Kentucky's security deposit statute (KRS § 383.580), the return timeline, and the separate-account forfeiture rule that most landlords overlook. Ready in minutes.
Deadline
30 / 60 days
to return your deposit after move-out
Penalty
Forfeiture
of the right to withhold (URLTA areas)
Statute
§ 383.580
Kentucky Revised Statutes
Under KRS § 383.580, in URLTA jurisdictions your landlord must hold your deposit in a separate Kentucky account disclosed to you, and must account for the deposit after you move out. The statute’s 30- and 60-day rules govern how unclaimed refunds and tenant responses are handled — they are not a simple "30 days no-deduction / 60 days with-deduction" deadline.
Kentucky does not use a 2× or 3× multiplier. Instead, a landlord who fails to hold your deposit in a properly disclosed separate account forfeits the right to keep any portion of it, and you may recover:
So if your landlord skipped the separate disclosed account, the deductions collapse and you are owed the entire deposit. Most landlords return it quickly once they realize the law is on your side.
Who this covers: Tenancies in jurisdictions that have adopted Kentucky’s URLTA — including Louisville/Jefferson County and Lexington-Fayette.
If it doesn't apply: In jurisdictions that have NOT adopted URLTA, this statute does not apply and weaker common-law and lease-based rules govern instead. Your letter reflects whichever applies to your location.
Two important traps: (1) Kentucky’s deposit law applies only in cities and counties that have adopted the URLTA — including Louisville/Jefferson County and Lexington-Fayette. Elsewhere, weaker common-law rules apply. (2) If the landlord sends an itemized list and you do not respond within the statutory window, the landlord may keep the deposit — so respond promptly. Your letter is built to be that timely response.
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 Kentucky's deadlines under § 383.580.
[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 § 383.580, 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 Kentucky 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]
30 / 60 days, where the statute applies. Tenancies in jurisdictions that have adopted Kentucky’s URLTA — including Louisville/Jefferson County and Lexington-Fayette. In jurisdictions that have NOT adopted URLTA, this statute does not apply and weaker common-law and lease-based rules govern instead. Your letter reflects whichever applies to your location.
A landlord who fails to hold the deposit in a properly disclosed separate account, or who otherwise fails to comply, forfeits the right to retain any portion of the deposit under § 383.580. Kentucky uses no damages multiplier; the "double damages" some sources cite is not supported by the statute’s text.
KRS § 383.580. We verify these against the statute text itself; the date we last checked is shown on this page.
Sources & verification
The Kentucky 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 Kentucky statutes that apply to your situation.
KRS § 383.580 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 Kentucky landlords return the deposit within days of receiving a properly drafted demand letter.
Generate my letter — $39