Home › Deposit letters › New York
What New York’s deposit statute requires, the deadline computed from your dates, and a ready-to-send demand letter that quotes the rule.
N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108. The citation and the quoted fragments below come from the official source recorded for this state.
“Within fourteen days after the tenant has vacated the premises, the landlord shall provide the tenant with an itemized statement”
“the landlord shall forfeit any right to retain any portion of the deposit”
“punitive damages of up to twice the amount of the deposit”
N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108 — fragments captured from the official source on 2026-11-05.
This row was marked verified on 2026-11-04.
Deposit refundable except amounts lawfully retained for reasonable and itemized costs; ordinary wear and tear excluded; landlord bears the burden of proving reasonableness.
If if the failure was willful, the statute provides: forfeiture of any right to retain any portion of the deposit; punitive damages of up to 2× the amount of the deposit.
The form asks for the deposit paid, the amount returned, and the dates. You see the whole letter, watermarked, before you pay. $9.99 for the letter, $19.99 for the pack with the follow-up letter, complaint options and the small-claims checklist.
Build my New York letter — free preview
The deadline is computed from the dates you enter using the rule recorded for New York: 14 calendar days after the date you moved out.
Where the statute has a verified penalty, the letter states it as possible exposure and names the condition the statute sets. If if the failure was willful, the statute provides: forfeiture of any right to retain any portion of the deposit; punitive damages of up to 2× the amount of the deposit.
Tell the builder that you received one. The letter acknowledges it and disputes the amounts you say are wrong.
No. It is a self-help document tool, not a law firm. If your claim is large or disputed, speak to a landlord-tenant lawyer or legal aid.