Maryland Security Deposit Demand Letters
A formal demand letter built on Md. Real Prop. § 8-203. A few plain-English questions, ready today.
Your landlord has 45 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 Md. Real Prop. § 8-203 and demands what Maryland 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 Md. Real Prop. § 8-203 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 Maryland's security deposit statute, Md. Real Prop. § 8-203, word for word | No | Yes |
| Applies your 45 day deadline correctly | No | Yes |
| Calculates your full demand, including the 3× 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 Maryland law
45 days
Deadline to return your deposit
3×
Penalty for bad faith withholding
10 days
Typical landlord reply time
Set by Md. Real Prop. § 8-203
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 Maryland 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.
Way easier than I expected. The demand letter got my deposit back without a lawyer.
My Columbia landlord had ignored me for a month, then folded once the deadline was in writing.
My landlord in Silver Spring went quiet for weeks over my deposit. I sent this letter and the full amount showed up within days.
FAQ
Maryland law gives your landlord 45 days after move out to return your deposit, with an itemized statement of any deductions, under Md. Real Prop. § 8-203. Miss the deadline and the landlord loses legal ground and can owe up to 3x the deposit.
Learn moreBuild the paper trail: confirm your forwarding address in writing, then send a demand letter by certified mail citing Md. Real Prop. § 8-203 and the 45 days deadline. A statute-cited demand is the step that moves most cases, and it sets up District Court — Small Claims if needed.
Learn moreYes. District Court — Small Claims in Maryland handles deposit disputes up to $5,000, 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 Maryland, generally only unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, and other charges the lease and Md. Real Prop. § 8-203 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. Maryland law allows up to 3x the deposit in statutory damages for wrongful withholding in bad faith under Md. Real Prop. § 8-203, on top of the deposit itself.
Learn moreThat is a violation in Maryland: Md. Real Prop. § 8-203 requires an itemized statement of deductions within 45 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 Maryland, landlords cannot deduct for it under Md. Real Prop. § 8-203; they can only charge for damage beyond it.
Learn moreOnly for documented damage that genuinely exceeds the deposit, with itemization and proof. In Maryland, a bill beyond your deposit for routine cleaning or ordinary wear is challengeable the same way a withheld deposit is.
Learn moreNo. Maryland deposit disputes are built for self-representation: a statute-cited demand letter resolves most cases, and District Court — Small Claims handles the rest up to $5,000 without attorneys.
Learn moreCite Md. Real Prop. § 8-203, state the 45 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.
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