Miss that obligation and the law has teeth: 2x wrongfully withheld + fees. Failure to comply lets the tenant recover twice the amount wrongfully withheld, plus costs and attorney's fees (Ark. Code § 18-16-306).
Your Rights Under Ark. Code § 18-16-305
Arkansas's deposit law is specific. The rights worth knowing before you write:
- The deadline: 60 days. Arkansas landlords have 60 days after the tenancy terminates and possession is delivered to return your deposit, with any deductions itemized in a written notice mailed first-class to your last known address.
- The penalty: 2x wrongfully withheld + fees. Failure to comply lets the tenant recover twice the amount wrongfully withheld, plus costs and attorney's fees (Ark. Code § 18-16-306).
- Itemization is mandatory. An itemized written notice of unpaid rent and damages, mailed with the remainder of your deposit.
- Worth knowing. Heads up: the statute covers landlords with six or more rental units or those using a property manager or rent collector — a small self-managing landlord may be exempt, in which case your lease and general contract law control. Deposit cap: two months' rent (same coverage).
What Your Landlord Can — and Can't — Keep
Legitimate deductions
- Unpaid rent you actually owe
- Cleaning needed to return the unit to its condition at move-in (minus ordinary wear)
- Repair of damage beyond normal wear and tear — holes in walls, broken fixtures, pet damage
NOT legitimate deductions
- Normal wear and tear — faded paint, minor scuffs, small nail holes, worn carpet from ordinary use
- Repainting or re-carpeting due simply to age
- Pre-existing damage that was there when you moved in
- Charges with no itemization or receipts where Ark. Code § 18-16-305 requires them
📸 Your strongest evidence: Move-in and move-out photos. If your landlord claims damage that pre-dated your tenancy, time-stamped photos can end the argument before it starts.
How to Write an Arkansas Security Deposit Demand Letter
An effective letter does four things: states the facts, cites Ark. Code § 18-16-305 by name, makes a specific dollar demand with a firm deadline, and spells out the consequences if the landlord doesn't comply. Unclaimed refunds become the landlord's property 180 days after a mailing is returned undeliverable — a demand letter with your current address eliminates that escape hatch and starts the paper trail for the 2x penalty. Here's how the opening of a strong one reads:
This preview stops here on purpose. Your complete, court-ready letter — customized to your exact situation, your numbers, and the deductions you're disputing, with the Ark. Code § 18-16-305 penalty language landlords take seriously — generates in 60 seconds.
Get My Complete Letter — $9Our guarantee: not happy with your letter? We’ll regenerate it or refund it — email support@writemydispute.com.
Get Your Arkansas Deposit Back — Custom Letter, 60 Seconds
Tell us your situation and we'll generate a demand letter built on Ark. Code § 18-16-305, with the exact deadline and penalty language for your case.
Generate My Refund Letter — $9If the Letter Doesn't Work: Arkansas Small Claims
Small claims court
Most deposit cases that get this far are filed in small claims court in the county where the rental sits — no attorney required. Bring the lease, move-in/move-out photos, your dated demand letter, and proof of delivery. The demand letter matters in court: it shows the judge you gave the landlord every chance to comply with Ark. Code § 18-16-305, and it anchors the penalty math — 2x wrongfully withheld + fees.
Your county's tenant resources
Many Arkansas counties run free tenant help lines, legal-aid clinics, or court self-help centers that will review a deposit case at no charge. Search your county name plus “tenant legal aid” — and bring the same paper trail.
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Get My Refund Letter — $9Already hearing from a collection agency?
Landlords hand move-out balances to a small set of specialist collectors. If the letter is from National Credit Systems, Hunter Warfield, IQ Data International, or Source RM, we have a company-specific response guide for each — and the demand letter on this page still applies, because a landlord who missed the statutory deadline may owe you money regardless of who is calling. Any other collector: see the collection agency index and your state’s rules in the debt statute of limitations guide.