Blog · 2026-09-30

Your deposit wasn't returned: what to put in your first email

The first message sets the tone. Keep it short, factual and in writing, so it can be used later if you need to escalate.

What to include

1. The facts: the address, the date the tenancy ended, and the date you returned the keys.
2. The amount: the deposit you paid.
3. The rule: the deadline that applies where you rent (for example the 14/30-day rule in the Netherlands).
4. The ask: pay the deposit, or send a written list of deductions with reasons and evidence.
5. A date: a clear, reasonable deadline for a reply.
6. Your bank details.

An example

Dear [name],

My tenancy at [address] ended on [date], and I returned the keys on [date]. I paid a deposit of [amount].

Please return the deposit to the account below by [date], or send me a written list of any deductions, with the reason and evidence for each one.

I have dated photographs of the property at the start and end of the tenancy, which I can share.

Kind regards,
[name]
[IBAN / account details]

What to avoid

• Phone calls with no written follow-up.
• Angry messages. They read badly to an adjudicator.
• Agreeing to a deduction "to get it over with" before you've seen the evidence.

If it doesn't work

Each country has a next step: the Juridisch Loket and the kantonrechter in the Netherlands, the deposit scheme's dispute service in England and Wales, the RTB in Ireland, a Mieterverein and the Amtsgericht in Germany. The country guides explain each one.

With a DepositWitness report, you also get a claim letter written for your country, with your photos attached as a side-by-side PDF.