Your security deposit refund letter, deductions included.
The deductions and their proof, the sum refunded, the increase if the deadline has passed: a PDF letter to send with the payment.
Security deposit refund
To fill in- Landlord
- to fill in
- Tenant
- to fill in
- Keys returned on
- to fill in
- Deposit paid
- to fill in
- Sum refunded
- to fill in
A letter template, not advice on your situation. For a dispute, see a commissaire de justice (bailiff) or a lawyer.
The letter is written in French: it goes to the tenant of a French lease, and a French judge would read it if the dispute went further.
With Kivlo
The move-out in Kivlo, the deposit followed.
Do the exit inspection on your phone, photos and signatures included: what you keep, you can justify. Kivlo then reminds you of the deposit to refund.
Sum refunded To fill in
The security deposit refund, in practice.
The deadline
The deposit is refunded within a month of the keys coming back when the exit inspection matches the entry one, within two months otherwise (article 22 of the law of 6 July 1989).
The deadline runs from the return of the keys, not from the inspection. The tenant gives their new address at that point.
What you may keep
The sums still owed to you, rent, charges or repairs, provided they are duly justified: an invoice, a quote, a statement (article 22).
The tenant answers for damage during the lease, not for normal wear: repairs due to age stay yours (article 7 of the law of 6 July 1989).
When late
Past the deadline, the sum still owed to the tenant increases by 10% of the monthly rent excluding charges for each month of delay started.
The increase is not owed when the delay comes from the tenant not giving their new address (article 22).
In a multi-unit building
You may keep a provision of at most 20% of the deposit until the building's yearly accounts, then refund the balance within a month of their approval (article 22).
Mistakes to avoid: a lump-sum deduction with no proof, counting the deadline from the inspection, forgetting the increase once the deadline has passed.
Sources: Law of 6 July 1989, art. 22 · Law of 6 July 1989, art. 7 · Service-Public: security deposit
Rules checked on November 9, 2026. General information, not a substitute for personal advice.
The other questions that come up at this point
- During the leaseWhen must I return the deposit?The deadline and the late penalty.Compute the date
- During the leaseWhat share of the repair after wear and tear?What the tenant pays once normal wear is deducted.Compute the share
- Rent and rulesHow do I write a formal notice for unpaid rent?A letter ready for registered post, months and amounts itemised.Write the letter
- During the leaseWhat notice to leave or take back a home?The notice length and its end date.Compute the notice
The security deposit refund: your questions.
No. The tenant answers for damage, not for age: paint faded or carpet worn by time cannot be deducted (article 7 of the law of 6 July 1989). Our wear and tear calculator gives the tenant's share once wear is taken off.
Yes: the deposit is refunded less the sums still owed to you, as long as they are justified (article 22). State the period and the amount, with your statement as proof.
The deadline stays the same, but the late increase is not owed when the delay comes from the tenant not giving their new address (article 22). Untick the box.
No: the security deposit bears no interest for the tenant (article 22). Only the late increase is added once the deadline has passed.
The new owner. When the let home is sold or given away, the refund falls to the new landlord; an agreement otherwise binds only the seller and the buyer (article 22).
Nothing is sent: the PDF is made in your browser. Kivlo sees neither the names, nor the addresses, nor the amounts, and nothing is kept when you close the page.