Louisiana Tenants
A professional demand letter citing Louisiana's Lessee's Deposit Act (La. R.S. § 9:3251–3252), the one-month return deadline, and the greater-of-$300-or-2× penalty for willful withholding. Ready in minutes.
Deadline
1 month
to return your deposit after move-out
Penalty
$300 or 2×
greater of, on top of the retained portion
Statute
§ 9:3251
Louisiana Revised Statutes
Under La. R.S. § 9:3251, your landlord has one month after the lease ends to return your security deposit or provide a written, itemized statement of any deductions. A written demand from you is generally required to trigger the penalty.
If the landlord willfully fails to return your deposit after written demand, La. R.S. § 9:3252 allows you to recover:
So a $1,500 deposit wrongfully withheld can support a court judgment of $4,500 — the $1,500 back plus $3,000 in damages (the 2× figure, since it exceeds $300). Most landlords settle quickly once they realize you know the law.
Good to know: A 2019 amendment raised this penalty — outdated sources still cite an old $200 figure. The current floor is $300, or double the amount withheld if that is greater. Louisiana sets no statewide deposit cap.
When the return duty does not apply (§ 9:3251(C)): The one-month return duty does not apply if you abandoned the premises without giving notice as required by your lease, or left before the lease ended. In those situations your demand rests on your lease and general contract rights instead — your letter reflects whichever applies.
Act 63 (effective August 1, 2026): For a landlord who retains any part of the deposit, Act 63 of 2026 allows the itemized statement to be sent within one month after the tenancy ends or up to fifteen days after that one-month date. The deadline to RETURN the deposit itself is unchanged — one month after the lease terminates.
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 Louisiana's deadlines under § 9:3251.
[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 § 9:3251, 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 Louisiana 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]
1 month after you move out.
Willful failure to return the deposit exposes the landlord, under § 9:3252, to the wrongfully retained portion PLUS the greater of $300 or twice the amount wrongfully retained. Failure to remit within 30 days after your written demand is itself deemed willful — which is exactly what this letter establishes.
La. R.S. § 9:3251 and La. R.S. § 9:3252. We verify these against the statute text itself; the date we last checked is shown on this page.
Sources & verification
The Louisiana 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 Louisiana statutes that apply to your situation.
La. R.S. § 9:3251, § 9:3252, 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 Louisiana landlords return the deposit within days of receiving a properly drafted demand letter.
Generate my letter — $39