A deposit accounting letter is only as strong as its evidence. The Security Deposit Deduction Notice is built around that truth: your phone camera captures the proof, the fillable PDF turns it into a formal letter, and the spreadsheet does the math. All of it runs on free software.
What opens it: free software
- Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) — opens the flat printable PDF and the fillable PDF on any device. Your main tool for the notice letter.
- Apple Files / Preview (free, built-in) — on iPhone, iPad, or Mac, complete the 77 fillable fields on the go, then print to sign.
- Any Android PDF reader — the fillable PDF works in your phone’s built-in viewer. No extra downloads.
- Google Sheets (free) — opens the .xlsx deduction worksheet in your browser or the Sheets app: 20 deduction rows with category dropdowns, live auto-totals, photo-reference and receipt columns. Microsoft Excel works too.
What devices it runs on
- Your phone camera — the most important tool in the whole process. Every deduction line needs a photo reference; shoot the unit at move-in and move-out, same angles, timestamped.
- iPhone / Android — complete the fillable letter wherever you are, even standing in the empty unit.
- Desktop / laptop — best for the worksheet, when you want all 20 rows, categories, and live totals on one screen.
- Home printer — print the letter for your signature and for certified-mail sending.
What pairs with it
- Your move-in / move-out photo routine — shoot the same rooms, same angles, both times. The kit’s photo-reference columns only work if the photos exist.
- Certified mail with return receipt — the playbook says send it traceable and keep the receipt. That’s your proof of the deadline.
- A turnover checklist — pair the deduction letter with a move-out inspection routine so nothing gets missed between tenants.
[Affiliate slot: landlord property-management or bookkeeping software — Valery adds the real link when he picks one]
Doing it manually vs. using the kit
The manual way: a text message to the tenant saying what you’re keeping, amounts from memory, photos scattered in your camera roll. It feels fast — until the tenant disputes it. Then you have no numbered lines, no formal letter, no proof of when you sent it, and no clean totals. You’re reconstructing the whole thing from memory, which is exactly what loses disputes.
Hiring someone to draft it costs real money every single move-out. A generic legal template from the internet doesn’t know your line items, your photos, or your state’s deadline — and it won’t do your math.
The kit gives you the formal letter, the 12-line itemized table, the deduct-vs-wear-and-tear guide, and a worksheet where the totals update as you type. One sitting, one complete packet, sent traceable before the clock runs out.
Get the kit
DEDUCT DAMAGE, NOT WEAR AND TEAR. Get the Security Deposit Deduction Notice for $14.95, or find DealShore on Etsy.
Get free sample pages + new kit alerts — email contact@dealshore.com
Related: Security Deposit Deduction Letter: Itemize Every Dollar or Lose the Dispute