Demand letters in Florida.

Security deposit demand letters in Florida

If your former landlord is holding your deposit, Florida law is on your side. A landlord must return your security deposit within 15 days to refund in full, or 30 days to send written notice of intended deductions by certified mail, along with an itemized statement of any deductions. Missing the 30-day notice forfeits the landlord’s right to keep any of the deposit; tenants who prevail recover attorney’s fees.

Statutes of limitation in Florida

A demand letter doesn't pause the clock — you must file suit within these windows:

Small claims court in Florida

The relevant court is Small Claims Court (County Court). Limit: $8,000 (excluding costs, interest, and attorney’s fees). Filing fee information: Check the filing court’s current fee schedule; service charges may be additional. A dollar limit alone does not establish eligibility; check the court’s claim, venue and service requirements.

Small-claims limit source checked: 2026-09-29. This date does not apply to the other laws on this page.

How Florida compares

The same dispute is worth pursuing in one state and barely worth the paperwork in another. Here is where Florida actually sits.

• Small Claims Court (County Court) in Florida: $8,000 (excluding costs, interest, and attorney’s fees). Filing fee information: Check the filing court’s current fee schedule; service charges may be additional. Limits are not directly comparable across states because court, plaintiff and claim-specific rules differ.

• The clock is short here. Florida gives a landlord 15 days to refund in full, or 30 days to send written notice of intended deductions by certified mail — 8th tightest in the country and 15 days inside the 30-day median — so a letter sent the day after that deadline lands while the breach is unarguable and recent. Florida attaches no statutory multiplier, so your leverage is the filing threat and the Fla. Stat. § 83.49 citation rather than a penalty number.

• Do not sit on it. Florida allows only 5 years to sue on a written contract — 1 year shorter than the 6-year median for written contracts, and 34th longest of the 51. Oral agreements expire sooner still, at 4 years, and a demand letter does not pause either clock.

For a $1,500 deposit, document the amount withheld and any deductions. Confirm the available remedies under the governing statute before demanding penalties. Filing fee information: Check the filing court’s current fee schedule; service charges may be additional.