The 14-day Letter Before Claim — what it must say
Before any money claim, the Pre-Action Protocol expects a formal written demand. Done properly, it settles most deposit claims without a filing fee: the landlord sees the strict-liability arithmetic and pays.
The mandatory content
- Your details and the landlord's — exactly as the tenancy agreement names them
- The property address and tenancy dates
- The deposit amount and the date the landlord received it (attach the bank line)
- The breach: s.213(3) (protection late/never) and/or s.213(6) (prescribed information not served) Housing Act 2004
- The remedy sought: return of the deposit where held, plus a statutory sum of 1x–3x the deposit under s.214(4)
- Statutory interest at 8% above base rate from the day after the deadline
- A 14-day deadline to respond and pay
- Notice that failure will lead to a Money Claim Online issue plus this letter as evidence of pre-action conduct
Serving it
Send by email AND tracked post to the address on the tenancy agreement (and the agent if one was involved). Keep the tracking receipt — pre-action compliance is judged on what you can prove you sent.
Casewright claim pack
Landlord in the landlord failed the 30-day rule? The Casewright Tenancy Deposit Pack generates your formal 14-day Letter Before Claim and Money Claim Online particulars citing s.213 and s.214 Housing Act 2004. Flat £69 — no percentage of your award, unlike no-win-no-fee deposit lawyers who take 35–42%.