Ohio Security Deposit Demand Letters
A formal demand letter built on Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16. A few plain-English questions, ready today.
Your landlord has 30 days to return your deposit. Deadline coming up? Your letter puts your demand in writing before it runs out. Deadline already passed? Your letter cites Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 and demands what Ohio law entitles you to. A few plain-English questions, ready today.
Get my demand letterI moved out weeks ago and my landlord has gone quiet.
Different situations, one letter. Your answers shape it to your case.
Get my demand letterThree steps. Your letter is ready about seven minutes after checkout.
A name, an email, and a card. No account to create and nothing to upload. Payment is handled by Stripe, and the guarantee starts the moment you pay: free rewrite within 7 days, refund if it does not fit.
Plain-English questions that walk through your tenancy: the deposit, the move-out, the deadline, what your landlord kept and why. No documents needed. Each answer feeds a clause of your letter, so nothing generic goes in your landlord’s hands.
Built on Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 with your answers in every clause, ready to read the moment you finish. On the mailed option, sign once and we print and mail it certified with return receipt. The tracking number lands in your inbox.
The honest question
You could. It will give you a decent draft. Here is everything else that has to go right before your landlord actually pays.
| Ask a chatbot | SecurityDeposit.co | |
|---|---|---|
| Writes a demand letterWriting was never the hard part. | Yes | Yes |
| Cites Ohio's security deposit statute, Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16, word for word | No | Yes |
| Applies your 30 day deadline correctly | No | Yes |
| Calculates your full demand, including the 2× penalty you may be owed | No | Yes |
| Asks you the right questions first, so one missing fact does not sink your claim | No | Yes |
| Prints it, signs it, and sends it by certified mail | No | Yes |
| Tracked, court-ready proof your landlord received it | No | Yes |
A draft is a fraction of the job. The statute cite, the deadline math, and the certified mail receipt are what make a landlord take you seriously.
Get my demand letterYour rights under Ohio law
30 days
Deadline to return your deposit
2×
Penalty for bad faith withholding
10 days
Typical landlord reply time
Set by Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16
Same letter in both. One flat fee, no percentage of what you recover. Every day you wait tells your landlord you have moved on. A dated letter says the opposite.
Checkout
Signed, Sent and Tracked
$49You sign it, we mail it certified.
After checkout you'll answer a few plain-English questions. Your letter is ready about five minutes later.
You approve every word before anything is mailed.
Something wrong with your letter? We rewrite it free within 7 days, or refund you if it does not fit.
This is not legal advice. We provide document preparation services only. For legal representation, consult a licensed attorney.
Recent letters
Each one was built from a tenant's answers and Ohio law. Names, addresses, and signatures are redacted. Tap a letter to read it in full.
8 recent letters · scroll for more
Real Results
Most landlords respond within 10 days.
I didn't think I'd see it again. Ten days after mailing this, my Columbus landlord paid in full.
The letter cited the exact statute they violated. They settled before it ever reached court.
Way easier than I expected. The demand letter got my deposit back without a lawyer.
FAQ
Ohio law gives your landlord 30 days after move out to return your deposit, with an itemized statement of any deductions, under Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16. Miss the deadline and the landlord loses legal ground and can owe up to 2x the deposit.
Learn moreBuild the paper trail: confirm your forwarding address in writing, then send a demand letter by certified mail citing Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 and the 30 days deadline. A statute-cited demand is the step that moves most cases, and it sets up Municipal Court — Small Claims if needed.
Learn moreYes. Municipal Court — Small Claims in Ohio handles deposit disputes up to $6,000, no lawyer required. But send a formal demand letter first: it is the step judges expect, and it resolves most cases before filing.
Learn moreIn Ohio, generally only unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, and other charges the lease and Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 actually allow, each listed in an itemized statement. Ordinary wear, worn carpet, faded paint, small nail holes, cannot be charged to you.
Learn moreOften, yes. Ohio law allows up to 2x the deposit in statutory damages for wrongful withholding under Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16, on top of the deposit itself.
Learn moreThat is a violation in Ohio: Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 requires an itemized statement of deductions within 30 days, and it strips the landlord's justification for withholding.
Learn moreThe deterioration of normal living: worn carpet paths, faded paint, minor scuffs, small nail holes. In Ohio, landlords cannot deduct for it under Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16; they can only charge for damage beyond it.
Learn moreOnly for documented damage that genuinely exceeds the deposit, with itemization and proof. In Ohio, a bill beyond your deposit for routine cleaning or ordinary wear is challengeable the same way a withheld deposit is.
Learn moreNo. Ohio deposit disputes are built for self-representation: a statute-cited demand letter resolves most cases, and Municipal Court — Small Claims handles the rest up to $6,000 without attorneys.
Learn moreCite Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16, state the 30 days deadline and the date it passed, itemize the amount owed, set a 10 to 14 day response date, and send it certified mail. Specific beats angry: the statute does the threatening for you.
Learn moreRead more