When several people sign one lease, the deposit is usually a single fund, and the law treats you as jointly and severally liable — the landlord can deal with any one of you, and the landlord’s duty to return the deposit typically runs to all of you together. In practice that means the landlord commonly issues one check payable to all named tenants, or mails the whole refund to one forwarding address. So getting your share is often less about the landlord and more about your roommates.
Two moves, in order: pin down what the landlord is returning and to whom, then settle the split with your co-tenants.
1. Ask the landlord to account for the deposit. You’re entitled to know the total held, the deductions, and how the refund will be issued.
[Your name / address / contact]
[Date]
[Landlord name / address]
Re: Security-deposit refund — co-tenant request
[former rental address, unit #]
Dear [Landlord name],
I was a co-tenant at [former rental address] under the lease that ended
on [move-out date]. Please confirm in writing:
• the total deposit held, and any itemized deductions;
• the amount to be refunded;
• to whom, and to what address, the refund will be issued — and whether
it will be one check to all co-tenants or split among us.
My forwarding address is above. My contribution to the deposit was
$[your share] [receipt / bank record enclosed]. If you are able to issue
my share of $[your share] to me directly, please do so; otherwise please
send the refund as required under [state statute citation] within
[X] days and confirm the arrangement.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Your printed name]
Many landlords won’t split a joint deposit without every tenant’s written agreement — and legally they often don’t have to. If yours won’t, get the refund issued and divide it yourselves.
2. Get your share from the lead tenant / roommate. Once the money lands, put the split in writing.
[Your name] · [Date]
Hi [roommate name],
The landlord returned our security deposit — $[amount refunded] (after
$[deductions] in deductions) [by check dated [date] / to your address].
My share of the original $[total deposit] deposit was $[your share]
([equal split / your agreed percentage]). After the deductions
[we agree apply to me], my share of the refund is $[your share of refund].
Please send it to me by [date] via [Zelle / Venmo / a check to the
address below]. Thanks for sorting this out.
[Your name] — [contact]
How the split usually works
- Deductions are normally shared in the same proportion as you paid in — unless one person caused a specific, documented bit of damage, which comes out of their share.
- If you paid the whole deposit yourself, keep the proof (receipt, bank transfer). It’s your best evidence for claiming the larger share.
- Get names and addresses right. The refund follows the names on the lease and the forwarding address on file — make sure yours is current (see the forwarding-address notice).
The landlord’s duty usually runs to all co-tenants jointly. A landlord who returns the full, correct amount to one named tenant or to the address on file may have satisfied the law — which can leave your real dispute with your roommate, not the landlord. If a co-tenant keeps your share, that’s a claim against them (small claims works for this too), not against the landlord. Confirm how your state handles joint deposits before deciding whom to pursue.
If the landlord is the problem — no refund, or bad deductions — treat it like any other withheld deposit: calculate what you’re owed, send the demand letter, and check your state’s deadline and penalty in the state table. This is general information, not legal advice.