A "nonrefundable" stamp on a receipt doesn't, by itself, decide whether you can get the money back from a U.S. landlord or seller. Put that demand in writing today.
Have you already asked in a text and gotten silence? Attach the receipt and mail a dated letter so you can prove it was delivered.
What actually controls a deposit refund
The paper you signed matters. So does the kind of transaction.
A lease deposit is usually a state landlord-tenant problem, while a gym or contractor deposit is mostly a contract fight unless a cooling-off rule covers that exact sale. Mixing those theories in one letter makes the demand harder to take seriously.
Thing is, companies treat "nonrefundable" like a locked door. Agencies and courts sometimes ask what the money was for, not only what the invoice called it.
This is practical information for U.S. consumers. It's not a decision about your lease.
Rental deposits are a different problem than sales deposits
The federal cooling-off rule doesn't cover the sale or rental of real property. Paying a holding fee at a leasing office does not create a three-day federal cancellation right.
The FTC Cooling-Off Rule can help with certain in-home or temporary-location sales. It's a narrow tool.
| Payment | What usually controls a refund | Federal Cooling-Off Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment security deposit, pet charge, or move-in holding fee | State landlord-tenant law and the lease | No. Real property is excluded. |
| Goods or services sold at your home or at certain temporary locations | Your contract, plus the Cooling-Off Rule if the sale qualifies | Yes, if no exception applies and you cancel on time. |
| Order placed only by mail, phone, or online with no other in-person contact | The merchant contract and any card or bank dispute process | Generally no. Those sales are carved out. |
In California, a nonrefundable label doesn't automatically remove a payment from security-deposit rules if the fee functions like a deposit. Other states handle pet fees and holding fees differently. Cite the statute for the property's state, or leave the citation out.
Gather the papers first
Skip the empty letter. Build a small file.
- [ ] Receipt, canceled check, or card statement with the amount and date
- [ ] Lease, invoice, or contract that says the deposit is nonrefundable
- [ ] Emails or texts about cancellation, defects, or terms you were not shown
- [ ] Move-in photos or a condition checklist if this is a rental
- [ ] A one-page timeline: paid, canceled, and what they replied
Print one set and save a digital copy.
Write the letter in this order
- Put your name, mailing address, email, and phone at the top, then the date.
- Address the landlord or company named on the contract, not only a clerk.
- Recite the facts: amount, date paid, what it was for, and why you want it back.
- Mention only a rule that fits. Use your state deposit statute for a rental. Use the Cooling-Off Rule for a qualifying in-home sale.
- Ask for a specific dollar amount, a payment method, and a deadline (many people use 14 days).
- List what you enclosed. Sign your name.
- Mail it certified, return receipt requested, and write the tracking number on your copy.
Keep the tone flat. Rage doesn't supply a legal basis, and to be honest, the version that gets a check is usually the dull one with dates, a dollar figure, and the receipt in the same envelope.
You can email a copy the same day. You'll still want the certified envelope as proof.
If you can't find the statute, describe the facts and skip a citation. Inventing an FTC section for an apartment fee undercuts the rest of the letter.
Sample letters you can copy
Use the draft that matches what you paid for. Fill every bracket. Drop any sentence you cannot support.
General nonrefundable deposit demand
[Your name]
[Your address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Email]
[Phone]
[Date]
[Recipient name]
[Company or landlord name]
[Address]
[City, State ZIP]
Re: Refund request for deposit paid [date] - [amount]
Dear [Name]:
On [date] I paid [amount] as a deposit for [describe the lease, job, or service]. I am requesting a refund of [amount] because [plain reason: service not provided, you canceled, terms were not disclosed, unit not delivered].
Please send the refund to [address or payment method] by [date 14 days out]. I have enclosed a copy of [receipt, contract, cancellation notice].
If I do not receive the funds by that date, I may file in small claims court or submit a complaint to my state attorney general.
Sincerely,
[Your name]Landlord or property manager
[Your name]
[Your address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Email]
[Phone]
[Date]
[Landlord or owner name]
[Address on the lease]
[City, State ZIP]
Re: Return of deposit - [property address], lease dated [date]
Dear [Name]:
I paid [amount] on [date] in connection with the rental at [address]. The lease or receipt labels that payment nonrefundable.
I am asking you to return [amount] by [date]. If this payment functions as a security deposit under [your state] law, it should be accounted for and any remainder refunded. [Add one factual sentence: I never took occupancy / I canceled before move-in / I left the unit in the condition required by the lease.]
Enclosed are copies of the lease, the payment record, and [other proof].
If the refund is not received by [date], I may file a small claims case against the owner named on the lease.
Sincerely,
[Your name]Cancellation notice for a qualifying in-home sale
[Your name]
[Your address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Date]
[Seller name]
[Seller address]
Re: Notice of cancellation - contract dated [sale date]
Dear [Name]:
I hereby cancel the transaction dated [sale date] for [goods or services]. I paid a deposit of [amount].
Please refund [amount] and advise me in writing how you will recover any goods already delivered. I am making those goods available to you.
This notice is sent because [I am using my cancellation right under the FTC Cooling-Off Rule / you did not provide cancellation forms].
Sincerely,
[Your name]Mail a cooling-off cancellation so it is postmarked before midnight of the third business day after the sale. Certified mail is the method the FTC describes.
If the sale happened at your home
If a seller signed you up at your house or at certain other temporary locations, federal law may give you until midnight of the third business day after the contract date to cancel. The seller is supposed to tell you that and hand you the forms.
People often wait a week to see if the seller will just send the money back, and by then the only federal cancel-by-mail window that ever existed for that living-room pitch has already closed, which is a miserable way to learn how short three business days really are.
Miss that postmark and the federal right is gone. You then fall back on the contract and any state rule that still applies.
Turns out the exceptions swallow a lot of everyday purchases. The rule doesn't cover the sale or rental of real property. Many sales done only by mail or telephone, with no other contact before delivery, are excluded too.
If the seller skipped the forms, write a cancellation letter anyway. Get it postmarked in time. The FTC's cooling-off explanation walks through that.
16 CFR 429.1 is the rule text. After a valid cancel, the seller has duties about any goods already in your hands, including a 10-business-day notice on whether those goods will be picked up or abandoned. Follow the 20-day pickup clock. If you make the goods available and the seller doesn't collect them within 20 days of your notice, you may keep or dispose of them without further obligation under that rule.
A gym contract signed at the club's regular location is a different animal, so don't assume the federal three-day window applies until you read that contract.
After they ignore the letter
Silence after day 14 is common. It's not the end of the file.
For a rental deposit, small claims court in the county of the property is the forum most people actually use. Bring the letter, the mailing receipt, the lease, and the payment proof. Sue the owner named on the lease, not only a resident manager, unless your court says otherwise. Dollar limits and notice rules vary. Check the court, not a blog.
A local landlord dispute is usually a state matter. Your state attorney general's consumer office is the typical complaint desk.
For a scam or a seller who refused a cancellation the federal rule required, report it to the FTC. The contact page at the Federal Trade Commission points scam reports to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC is not your collection agency. The report still documents the pattern.
If the charge sits on a mortgage, consumer loan, or another product the bureau covers, you can file a CFPB complaint. Companies generally respond in 15 days. You get 60 days after that to comment on the response. A gym holding fee doesn't belong there.
Fill the template that matches your facts today. Attach the receipt. Mail it certified and keep the tracking printout with your copy of the letter.