Your Missouri security deposit demand letter

November 5, 2026

VIA CERTIFIED MAIL — RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

Dear Property Manager:

I rented the premises at 77 Rented Avenue, Springfield from you. My tenancy ended and I moved out on August 27, 2026. I paid a security deposit of $2,400.00.

You have returned $700.00 of that deposit. $1,700.00 remains unreturned.

Under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300, you were required to return the deposit and an itemized statement of any deductions no later than September 26, 2026 — 30 calendar days after the date the tenancy ended. That date passed 40 days ago, and I have received no payment of the balance.

You did not give me a written, itemized statement of the deductions you are keeping, although Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300 requires one.

1. The amount I am asking you to return

The deposit I paid was $2,400.00. You returned $700.00. The balance I am asking you to return is $1,700.00.

2. What the statute says

The rule that applies is Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300. The state's official source for it is listed for this state on locafact.com, and the fragments below are quoted from the statute text captured for this letter.

The statute describes the deductions a landlord may make as follows: Within thirty days after the date of termination of the tenancy the landlord must either return the full amount of the security deposit or furnish the tenant a written itemized list of the damages for which the deposit or any portion is withheld, along with the balance of the deposit; mailing the statement and any payment to the tenant's last known address is compliance. The landlord may withhold only amounts reasonably necessary to remedy a tenant's default in the payment of rent due under the rental agreement, to restore the dwelling unit to its condition at the commencement of the tenancy (ordinary wear and tear excepted), and to compensate actual damages from the tenant's failure to give adequate notice to terminate where the landlord makes reasonable efforts to mitigate. Carpet cleaning amounts may be withheld only where the rental agreement so provides and notifies the tenant of possible liability, and a receipt for the actual carpet cleaning costs must be provided within thirty days of the end of the tenancy. The landlord must give the tenant or the tenant's representative reasonable written notice of the date and time of the inspection following termination, and the tenant has the right to be present. Any interest earned on the deposit is the landlord's property, so no interest is owed to the tenant.

The deadline is measured in calendar days: 30 calendar days after the date the tenancy ended, which for the dates above is September 26, 2026.

“Within thirty days after the date of termination of the tenancy, the landlord shall: (1) Return the full amount of the security deposit; or (2) Furnish to the tenant a written itemized list of the damages for which the security deposit or any portion thereof is withheld, along with the balance of the security deposit.”

“The landlord shall have complied with this subsection by mailing such statement and any payment to the last known address of the tenant.”

“To restore the dwelling unit to its condition at the commencement of the tenancy, ordinary wear and tear excepted”

“If the landlord wrongfully withholds all or any portion of the security deposit in violation of this section, the tenant shall recover as damages twice the amount wrongfully withheld.”

3. What the statute adds if the deposit is not returned

Because if the condition the statute sets out is met, Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300 may also allow amounts above the unreturned balance:

• damages equal to the amount wrongfully withheld (2× in total; the amount above the unreturned balance): $1,700.00

On the figures above, that is up to $1,700.00 in addition to the $1,700.00 unreturned balance — a possible total of up to $3,400.00. These amounts are not owed unless the condition the statute sets out is established; they are stated as the possible exposure, not as a demand.

4. What I am asking you to do

Please pay me $1,700.00 within ten (10) days of the date of this letter.

A check payable to me can be sent to the address at the top of this letter. If you believe some part of the deposit was properly kept, send me an itemized statement with the receipts or invoices for each amount.

If I do not receive payment or a written response within that time, I will consider filing a claim in small claims court for the unreturned deposit and any amount the statute allows, and I will keep this letter and the certified-mail record as evidence.

This is a self-help document, not legal advice, and no outcome is guaranteed.