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• Keep the contract, deposit proof, inventory, photos, messages and payment records together.

• For EUR 1 million in rent, repairs or risk of losing the deposit, small missing evidence can matter.

• Separate what the agreement says from what actually happened.

• Use Caira to draft a landlord, tenant or tribunal-ready document checklist.

When a French landlord has not returned your dépôt de garantie, a letter can help. But a template can also create problems if it mixes different rental issues, states the wrong deadline, or demands a refund without documents. This guide focuses on deposit-return and deduction letters, not every possible rental letter in France. The ready row is partially validated, so editors should recheck the current Service-Public template, deposit page, and statute wording before publishing exact deadlines or formal mise en demeure language.

Know which letter you are writing

There are at least three different letters tenants confuse. The first is a simple request for the deposit to be returned. The second is a request for justificatifs when the landlord keeps money for cleaning, repairs, furniture, charges, or utilities. The third is a more formal mise en demeure if the landlord does not respond or refuses without proof. Do not combine all three into an angry first email unless the facts justify it.

Use the French term dépôt de garantie for the rental deposit. Avoid calling it caution unless you are discussing a guarantor or quoting a landlord's informal wording. Foreign tenants often use caution to mean deposit, but in French housing documents caution can point to the guarantor concept, which creates confusion.

Before sending any letter

Collect the lease, état des lieux d'entrée, état des lieux de sortie, deposit payment proof, rent receipts, key-return proof, photos, landlord messages, deduction statement, and invoices or estimates already received. If you returned the keys on a different date from the move-out inventory, write both dates down. If the landlord claims damage, compare the entry and exit inventories before arguing.

Do not rely on a template that leaves out the address, date of departure, key-return date, amount of deposit, and what you are requesting. A good letter makes the dispute reviewable by a landlord, agency, conciliator, adviser, or court office.

Simple deposit refund request

Use this when the landlord has not returned the deposit and has not explained deductions. It is intentionally factual:

Objet : Demande de restitution du dépôt de garantie

Madame, Monsieur,

Je vous écris concernant le logement situé à [adresse], que j'ai quitté le [date]. Les clés ont été restituées le [date].

À ce jour, je n'ai pas reçu la restitution complète de mon dépôt de garantie d'un montant de [montant] euros.

Je vous remercie de bien vouloir me restituer la somme due ou, si vous estimez devoir effectuer des retenues, de me transmettre les justificatifs correspondants.

Vous trouverez ci-joint les documents utiles : [état des lieux, photos, preuve de remise des clés, échanges].

Cordialement, [nom]

Request for justificatifs

If the landlord has deducted money, the next letter should ask for proof and calculation:

Objet : Demande de justificatifs relatifs aux retenues sur dépôt de garantie

Madame, Monsieur,

Vous m'avez indiqué retenir la somme de [montant] euros sur mon dépôt de garantie au titre de [motif indiqué]. Afin de comprendre cette retenue, je vous remercie de bien vouloir me transmettre les justificatifs correspondants, notamment les factures, devis, photos ou documents permettant d'expliquer le montant retenu.

Dans l'attente de ces éléments, je conteste la retenue opérée.

Cordialement, [nom]

Keep the wording narrower if only one deduction is disputed. If some deductions are accepted and others are disputed, say so clearly.

Mistakes that weaken the letter

Common mistakes include using the wrong legal term, forgetting attachments, demanding the full deposit when justified deductions may exist, ignoring the état des lieux, sending only a WhatsApp voice note, threatening court without a calculation, or copying a template that mentions furnished or unfurnished rules without checking your lease. Another common error is failing to keep proof of sending. If you send a registered letter, save the receipt and copy. If you send email, save the full message and attachments.

Do not state a hard late-return penalty or statutory period unless the current Service-Public and Legifrance wording has been checked for your type of lease and facts. The source layer supports a deposit-letter guide, but this topic specifically warns that the broad title can mix several different rental letters.

Where Unwildered fits

Upload the lease, inventories, deposit proof, deduction message, and your draft letter. Unwildered can help identify whether you need a simple request, a justificatifs request, or a stronger formal letter for editorial or legal review.

Free copyable template: This guide includes a free draft you can copy into Microsoft Word, adapt to your facts, and compare against your documents before uploading the file to Caira.

Copyable French deposit refund letter template

Copy the wording below into Microsoft Word or Google Docs, then replace every square-bracketed section. To make a Word version, copy from the first line of the template to the signature block, paste it into Microsoft Word, then save or download it as a .docx file. Keep the surrounding explanation in this article as guidance, but use the template text as the part to copy.

Objet : Demande de restitution du dépôt de garantie

Madame, Monsieur,

J'ai quitté le logement situé [adresse] le [date] et les clés ont été restituées le [date]. Le bail prévoyait un dépôt de garantie de [montant] euros.

Je vous demande de me restituer le dépôt de garantie dans les délais applicables, sur le compte suivant : [IBAN].

Si vous estimez devoir retenir une somme, merci de me transmettre le détail des retenues avec les justificatifs correspondants : état des lieux, devis, factures, régularisation de charges ou tout autre document utile.

Je joins à ce courrier une copie du bail, de l'état des lieux de sortie, de la preuve de remise des clés et de mes coordonnées bancaires.

Dans l'attente de votre retour,

Cordialement,
[Nom]
[Adresse]
[Email / téléphone]

Example filled-in France Deposit Letter Template

This is a realistic example only. Do not copy the facts unless they match your situation.

Objet : Demande de restitution du dépôt de garantie - exemple

Madame,

J'ai quitté le logement situé 14 rue Exemple, Lyon, le 30 avril 2026 et les clés ont été restituées le même jour. Le bail prévoyait un dépôt de garantie de 1 200 euros.

Je vous demande de restituer ce dépôt sur mon compte FR76 3000 6000 0112 3456 7890 189. Si vous retenez une somme, merci de transmettre les justificatifs correspondants.

Je joins le bail, l'état des lieux de sortie, la preuve de remise des clés et mon RIB.

Cordialement,
Emma Laurent

Make the French deposit letter evidence-led

A deposit refund letter works better when it gives the landlord an easy route to comply and a difficult route to ignore. It should state the address, exit date, key-return date, deposit amount, bank details and the exact documents attached.

If the landlord alleges damage, ask for the evidence rather than arguing in the abstract. The practical dispute is usually whether the deduction is supported by the état des lieux, invoices, photographs or charge regularisation.

• Attach the bail, état des lieux d'entrée and état des lieux de sortie.

• Attach proof of key return and your RIB.

• If there are charges, ask for the calculation and supporting documents.

• Keep the tone formal and short; the attachments carry the weight.

When to use a firmer version

Start with a concise letter if the delay may be administrative. Use a firmer version if the landlord has already refused, made unexplained deductions, or ignored a previous message. The firmer version should still be factual: deposit amount, exit date, keys returned, missing justification, and requested payment.

If deductions are partly valid, ask for the balance. That prevents the whole deposit being held while one invoice is disputed.

• State the undisputed amount you expect back.

• Ask for invoices, not estimates, where the deduction is final.

• Keep postal proof or email delivery evidence.

• Upload both états des lieux before asking Caira to draft the next version.

Official context to check

For French deposit pages, lease type matters. Official guidance distinguishes deposit and return questions by furnished/unfurnished status, inventory evidence and documented deductions.

Sources

• Service-Public housing guidance

• Legifrance: residential tenancy law

• ANIL

This article is general information, not legal, financial, medical or tax advice.