Texas Security Deposit Return Letter: Free Template and Generator for Landlords
When you return a tenant's security deposit in Texas, the law sets a 30-day deadline, and if you keep any part of the deposit, it requires a written description and itemized list of every deduction. This page gives you the letter: sample text you can copy, a free generator that fills it in from your facts, and the statute behind every line. Statutes verified June 25, 2026.
This page is for landlords preparing the refund and itemization. If you are a tenant looking for a demand letter, this is not that page.
Sample security deposit return letter (Texas)
Two versions of the standard letter, generated by the same engine as the tool below; a third, for deductions that exceed the deposit, appears further down. Replace the bracketed placeholders, keep the itemization honest, and review everything before you sign.
Itemized letter with deductions (partial refund)
Re: Your security deposit at [Rental property address]
This letter is the itemized statement of your security deposit for the rental at [Rental property address], following the end of your tenancy.
Your security deposit was $1,500.00. I have deducted the amounts itemized below, with a description of each.
| Deduction | Amount |
|---|---|
| Repair 2-inch gouge in bedroom door | $185.00 |
| Professional removal of large carpet stain in living room | $140.00 |
| Total deductions | $325.00 |
The remaining balance of $1,175.00 is enclosed with this letter.
If you have any questions about this statement, you can reach me at the address above.
Texas Property Code, Chapter 92: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PR/htm/PR.92.htm
Full refund letter (no deductions)
Re: Your security deposit at [Rental property address]
This letter confirms the return of your security deposit for the rental at [Rental property address], following the end of your tenancy.
Your security deposit was $1,500.00, and I have not made any deductions.
Your full deposit of $1,500.00 is enclosed with this letter.
If you have any questions about this statement, you can reach me at the address above.
Texas Property Code, Chapter 92: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PR/htm/PR.92.htm
Generate this letter free
The free Texas deposit tool computes your exact deadline from your dates, does the deduction math, and produces this letter with your facts filled in. No sign-up, no watermark, no charge, and nothing you type leaves your browser.
What Texas law requires the letter to include
The statute is short. If you retain any part of the deposit, § 92.104(c) requires:
(c) If the landlord retains all or part of a security deposit under this section, the landlord shall give to the tenant the balance of the security deposit, if any, together with a written description and itemized list of all deductions. The landlord is not required to give the tenant a description and itemized list of deductions if: (1) the tenant owes rent when he surrenders possession of the premises; and (2) there is no controversy concerning the amount of rent owed. Tex. Prop. Code § 92.104(c)
Working through that text, a compliant letter needs:
- The balance of the deposit, if any returned with the statement, not after it.
- A written description of each deduction, specific enough that the tenant can tell what happened ("repair 2-inch gouge in bedroom door", not "repairs").
- An itemized list with amounts, one line per deduction.
Note the narrow exemption in the second sentence: the itemization is excused only when both prongs are met: the tenant owes rent at surrender and there is no controversy about the amount. If the tenant disputes anything, the exemption is gone. Itemizing every time costs nothing and removes the argument.
Everything beyond that (photos, invoices, per-item cost breakdowns, a courteous tone) is not required by the statute. It is practice that serves a different master: if a dispute reaches a court, you bear the burden of proving the retention was reasonable (§ 92.109(c)), and documentation is how that burden gets carried.
The 30-day deadline and the forwarding address rule
(a) Except as provided by Section 92.107, the landlord shall refund a security deposit to the tenant on or before the 30th day after the date the tenant surrenders the premises. Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103(a) (with § 92.107)
The clock runs from the day the tenant surrenders the property, a term the statute does not define and courts have litigated. It is usually the day you got the rental back: keys returned, the move-out date in a written notice, or the lease end if they had already left. Separately, § 92.107 suspends your duty until you have a written forwarding address:
(a) The landlord is not obligated to return a tenant’s security deposit or give the tenant a written description of damages and charges until the tenant gives the landlord a written statement of the tenant’s forwarding address for the purpose of refunding the security deposit. (b) The tenant does not forfeit the right to a refund of the security deposit or the right to receive a description of damages and charges merely for failing to give a forwarding address to the landlord. Tex. Prop. Code § 92.107(a)–(b)
Suspended, not erased: the tenant never forfeits the refund by skipping the address. Our reading of the two sections together runs the operative window from the later of surrender or the written address, and the free deadline calculator computes your date, including the weekend and legal-holiday extension question, from your facts.
What you can deduct, and what counts as normal wear and tear
(a) Before returning a security deposit, the landlord may deduct from the deposit damages and charges for which the tenant is legally liable under the lease or as a result of breaching the lease. (b) The landlord may not retain any portion of a security deposit to cover normal wear and tear. Tex. Prop. Code § 92.104(a)–(b); definition at § 92.001(4)
That is a two-part test. A valid deduction must be a charge the tenant is legally liable for under the lease or for breaching it, and it must not be normal wear and tear. Unpaid rent and a gouged door pass; faded paint and carpet worn thin by walking do not. The damage-versus-wear line is the single most disputed issue in deposit cases, and we keep the full breakdown on its own page: normal wear and tear vs. damage in Texas. You decide what to claim; this tool and this page never classify your specific deduction.
If deductions exceed the deposit (the no-refund letter)
When lawful deductions are larger than the deposit, there is no check to enclose, but the itemization duty under § 92.104(c) still applies unless the narrow rent exemption above fits. The letter accounts for the deposit and states the remaining balance as a separate lease matter:
Re: Your security deposit at [Rental property address]
This letter is the itemized statement of your security deposit for the rental at [Rental property address], following the end of your tenancy.
Your security deposit was $1,500.00. I have deducted the amounts itemized below, with a description of each.
| Deduction | Amount |
|---|---|
| Unpaid June rent | $1,200.00 |
| Repair 2-inch gouge in bedroom door | $475.00 |
| Total deductions | $1,675.00 |
After applying your full security deposit, a balance of $175.00 remains owed under your lease. This statement accounts for the deposit; any remaining balance is a separate matter under the lease.
If you have any questions about this statement, you can reach me at the address above.
Texas Property Code, Chapter 92: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PR/htm/PR.92.htm
How to send it
Send the refund and statement by U.S. mail and the postmark becomes your evidence. The statute presumes you acted on time:
A landlord is presumed to have refunded a security deposit or made an accounting of security deposit deductions if, on or before the date required under this subchapter, the refund or accounting is placed in the United States mail and postmarked on or before the required date. Tex. Prop. Code § 92.1041
It is a presumption, not a guarantee, but it puts the postmark on your side. Certified mail with a return receipt is not required by any statute; it is optional proof-building that many landlords consider worth the few dollars. Keep a copy of the letter and the itemization. Texas also imposes a records duty in as many words: "The landlord shall keep accurate records of all security deposits." (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.106).
What happens if you get it wrong
(a) A landlord who in bad faith retains a security deposit in violation of this subchapter is liable for an amount equal to the sum of $100, three times the portion of the deposit wrongfully withheld, and the tenant’s reasonable attorney’s fees in a suit to recover the deposit. (b) A landlord who in bad faith does not provide a written description and itemized list of damages and charges in violation of this subchapter: (1) forfeits the right to withhold any portion of the security deposit or to bring suit against the tenant for damages to the premises; and (2) is liable for the tenant’s reasonable attorney’s fees in a suit to recover the deposit. (c) In an action brought by a tenant under this subchapter, the landlord has the burden of proving that the retention of any portion of the security deposit was reasonable. (d) A landlord who fails either to return a security deposit or to provide a written description and itemization of deductions on or before the 30th day after the date the tenant surrenders possession is presumed to have acted in bad faith. Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109(a)–(d)
Read carefully, because § 92.109 holds two separate penalties that are easy to conflate:
- Bad-faith retention (a): keeping money in bad faith costs $100, plus three times the portion wrongfully withheld (not the whole deposit), plus the tenant's reasonable attorney's fees.
- Bad-faith failure to itemize (b): a different mistake with a different price. The landlord forfeits the right to withhold any portion of the deposit and the right to sue the tenant for damages to the premises, and owes attorney's fees. There is no $100 and no tripling under (b).
- The burden and the presumption (c) and (d): in a tenant's suit you bear the burden of proving the retention was reasonable, and missing the 30th day after surrender raises a rebuttable presumption of bad faith.
All of it is manageable compliance risk: return what you owe on time, itemize every deduction honestly, and keep the records that show your work.
Frequently asked questions
Does Texas require a return letter if I am refunding the full deposit?
The written description and itemized list are required when you keep any part of the deposit (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.104(c)). If you are returning every dollar, the statute requires the refund itself by the deadline, not a letter. A short cover letter is still standard practice: it dates the refund, creates a record, and closes the file cleanly.
Do I need to attach receipts or photos to the itemized list?
No Texas statute sets a format for the itemized list or requires receipts, invoices, or photos. They matter for a different reason: if a dispute reaches a court, the landlord bears the burden of proving the retention was reasonable (§ 92.109(c)), and dated photos, invoices, and move-in records are how landlords carry that burden.
Can I charge for my own repair labor?
The statute allows deductions for damages and charges the tenant is legally liable for under the lease or for breaching it (§ 92.104(a)). It does not address the landlord’s own labor one way or the other. Charging a reasonable, documented rate is common practice; inflated self-labor charges are a common trigger for disputes, and you would bear the burden of showing the retention was reasonable.
What if the tenant never gave me a forwarding address?
Your duty to refund and to itemize is suspended until the tenant gives you a written forwarding address, and the tenant does not forfeit the deposit by failing to provide one (§ 92.107). Waiting is permitted while the duty is suspended; many landlords mail the refund and statement to the best address they have anyway, so there is a record that they acted.
Can I email the itemized statement instead of mailing it?
For leases entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2025, Texas allows the refund notice and itemized statement to be delivered by email if you and the tenant had previously communicated by email (§ 92.113). Email delivery does not invoke the postmark presumption in § 92.1041, which applies to U.S. mail.
What if the tenant owes rent when they move out?
Unpaid rent is a charge the tenant owes under the lease and can be deducted (§ 92.104(a)). Separately, § 92.104(c) excuses the written itemization only when both prongs are met: the tenant owes rent at surrender and there is no controversy about the amount. Itemizing anyway costs nothing and avoids a forfeiture argument.
The tenant skipped the last month’s rent and said “use the deposit.” Now what?
Texas law says a tenant may not withhold the last month’s rent on grounds that the deposit is security for unpaid rent. A tenant who does is presumed to have acted in bad faith and can be liable for three times the rent wrongfully withheld plus the landlord’s reasonable attorney’s fees (§ 92.108). Treat the skipped rent as an ordinary unpaid-rent charge in your itemization, and still account for the deposit on time.
The property changed owners during the lease. Who sends the letter and the refund?
Under § 92.105, the new owner is liable for the return of the deposit from the date title transfers and must give the tenant a signed statement acknowledging that they acquired the property and are responsible for the deposit, with its exact dollar amount. The former owner stays liable until the new owner receives or assumes the deposit, unless a written contract between them says otherwise. A mortgage lienholder that took title through its own foreclosure is outside that rule.
About this page
Every rule above is cited to the Texas statute it comes from, and the quotes are verbatim. Statutes verified June 25, 2026. Primary source: Texas Property Code Chapter 92 (official), with a readable mirror at Public.Law. Read how we verify the law. This page is general information for landlords, not legal advice; Deposit Record is not a law firm, and using this page or the generator creates no attorney-client relationship. For advice about your situation, talk to a licensed Texas attorney.