Tenant Demand Letter
Tenants oftentimes have issues with their landlords. Whether it be receiving their security deposit after moving out or having their request for repairs be ignored. Whatever it is, there is a proper way to settle these kinds of matters to ensure response and compliance. Write a letter addressed to your landlord, and make sure it is written in such a way that will catch their attention. There are a couple of ways to do that, and here are some of them.
Tenant Demand Letter Templates and Examples
1. Formal Demand Letter
This formal demand letter template instructs you how you should write each paragraph. It guides you on where to write your concerns, details of the letter, and how you should approach the letter. Just because it is called a demand letter does not mean you cannot be polite about it. This letter tells you to do just that.
2. Security Deposit Demand Letter for Tenants
This is a letter you can write if you have moved out of your apartment, 14 to 60 days have passed (this time frame depends on which state or country you are from), and you still have not received a check for your security deposit yet. This is considered non-compliance and you can advise them to send you the exact amount of the security deposit as soon as possible, otherwise matters will be taken to court.
3. Tenant Privacy Demand Letter
If you have a snoopy landlord who just can’t seem to comprehend the boundaries of privacy, perhaps you should consider writing him a demand letter like this one. Unless it is to make repairs and advice was given beforehand, it is extremely alarming when a landlord enters the premises of your apartment without giving you a heads-up or the reason for his actions. This letter states that he cease all intent to re-enter your apartment immediately or legal actions will be taken against him.
4. Repair Demand Letter
You have problems with your apartment, say, with defected materials. Maybe with lighting or the plumbing. Whatever the case may be, write a complaint letter to your landlord immediately. If they fail to comply with your request, then send them this demand letter. If there is something in your home that is considered a major inconvenience, this needs to be fixed immediately as landlords have standards and practices to adhere to.
5. Seven-Day Demand Letter from Tenant
Landlords are not allowed to spend the security deposit unless it is for a repair in the apartment caused by the tenant, and that should be documented. If they fail to disclose why your security deposit is being withheld, a demand letter may be in order. This demand letter reiterates the fact that the withholding of the distribution of the security deposit violates state law. With this letter, you are not only giving your landlord a deadline to give them time to prepare the necessary documents and the money itself, but also a sense of urgency.
6. Change Payment Method Demand Letter
If you are ever caught in a circumstance where your landlord is requesting that you change your method of payment for the rent, which apparently happens sometimes, perhaps a proper explanation is in order. If none has been given so far, we turn to a demand letter again. This problem, in itself, is not at all that extreme. So long as the new payment method is as convenient as the first one, and does not incur additional fees.
7. Refund Demand Letter
A different kind of demand letter if your security deposit has been withheld from you. This scenario can happen to anyone. If you are someone who is experiencing it for the first time, this demand letter format should be right for you. It walks you through to every section, letting you know what to write in which part, so on and so forth. Just make sure you follow it correctly and you should be good to go to send this directly to your landlord.
8. 30-Day Security Deposit Demand Letter
In this particular security deposit demand letter, the tenant is from a state where the law requires the landlord to return the security deposit to the tenant within 30 days. This also has to be acknowledged in the lease agreement. If you are from such location, and going through the same problem, this demand letter is tailor-fitted for you.
9. Health and Safety Non-Compliance Demand Letter
Landlords have standards and practices to adhere to. The state requires them to keep their apartment sanitary and safe enough to be properly habitable and comfortable. Failure to adhere to these practices may result in legal repercussions. Before all that happens, address the issue to the landlord first. Give them a deadline and demand that they fix the areas that need to be fixed in a given amount of time or before that.
10. Simple Tenant Demand Letter
Each landlord has different personalities. Maybe others are accustomed to certain approaches, and some are not as immune to aggressive ones. If in your case your landlord is simple and a sweet old person who happens to have his or her memory fail them quite a few times, then there is no need for an aggressive approach. A simple, directly made demand letter such as this one is all you need. Simply address the matter, and let them know what they can do to fix it.
As tenants, we wish to live comfortably in a place we consider home. And though that may be the case, a person, or a landlord, still technically owns that place. It is the landlord’s responsibility to make sure the place is in livable. And once the contract ends and you move out for whatever reason, it is their responsibility to send you the security deposit within the given time. A lucky few will not experience these things. There are some angelic landlords out there who look out for their tenants. With the unlucky ones though, you will have to address matters differently.