Formal demand for the return of a rent deposit (France)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in French
The PDF you download is in French — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
For a former tenant whose landlord in France has not returned the deposit in time: one month after the keys are handed back if the check-out inspection matches the check-in, two months otherwise. The French letter sets out the dates, claims the balance and the 10 % of the monthly rent per month of delay begun (art. 22 of the French law of 6 July 1989), disputes unjustified deductions and announces the conciliation commission, then the court. By registered letter with proof of receipt.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- You moved out of a rented flat in France and the landlord still has not returned your deposit.
- Your former landlord is keeping part of your deposit for damage you do not accept.
- You handed back the keys weeks ago and your landlord has stopped answering about the deposit.
- You want to claim your deposit back in writing before going to the conciliation commission.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Tenant
- Tenant's address
- Landlord
- Landlord's postal address (street, then postcode and town on the next line)
- City
- Date
- Date of the lease
- Address of the property
- Date the keys were returned
- Deposit amount
- Check-out inventory matches the check-in, or not
- Deadline for returning the deposit
- Amount of the deposit received so far, in euros (0 if nothing)
- Deductions disputed, and why
- Monthly net rent, excluding service charges
- Time given to pay, in days
- IBAN
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Within what time must a French landlord return the deposit?
- One month from the return of the keys if the check-out inspection matches the check-in, two months otherwise (art. 22 of the French law of 6 July 1989). The landlord may keep only sums owed and justified, for instance by a quote or an invoice; normal wear and tear stays the landlord's cost. In a block of flats, a justified provision of up to 20 % of the deposit may be kept until the building's yearly accounts are drawn up, the balance being returned within a month of their approval.
- How is the 10 % late-return increase calculated?
- It is 10 % of the monthly rent excluding charges for each month of delay begun, and it is owed automatically, without a court decision. Example: rent of €700 excluding charges, deposit due on 1 March, still nothing on 10 May: three months begun, so €210 on top of the balance. It is not owed if you never gave the landlord your new address.
- What if the landlord does not answer the formal demand?
- Refer the matter to the département's conciliation commission, which is free, then to the juge des contentieux de la protection at the tribunal judiciaire. For a claim up to €5,000 the court expects a prior attempt at settlement, for instance before a conciliateur de justice, also free (art. 750-1 of the French Code of Civil Procedure). The French site service-public.gouv.fr also publishes a free model letter, and the local ADIL advises at no cost.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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