When to use this checklist
Use it when a tenant asks why a deposit was withheld, disputes a cleaning or damage charge, asks for a refund date, claims move-out photos were wrong, or requests an exception after a move-out inspection. It is written for property managers, leasing coordinators, virtual assistants, and AI-assisted inbox workflows.
- Sorting deposit questions into accounting, evidence, manager review, or legal/escalation buckets.
- Checking whether the reply can be answered from approved move-out records or needs a manager.
- Creating a tenant-safe response that does not invent deadlines, waivers, lease terms, or deduction outcomes.
- Documenting the dispute in a CRM/work-order note before a follow-up is sent.
Copy/paste deposit dispute triage card
Security deposit dispute triage card
Property/unit: [address/unit]
Tenant/account: [name or account id]
Move-out date: [date]
Question type: [refund timing / deduction explanation / cleaning charge / damage claim / photo evidence / exception request / legal notice]
Verified source records: [lease clause / move-out inspection / photos / invoice / statement / accounting note / manager approval]
Amount involved: [amount + source]
Current status: [draft statement / sent statement / payment pending / disputed / manager review]
Tenant's stated concern: [short summary]
Evidence attached? [yes/no + file links]
Approved public wording available? [yes/no]
Owner/manager/accounting review needed? [yes/no + reason]
Next reply owner: [name]
Next follow-up due: [date/time]
STOP AUTOMATION if legal deadline, habitability, fair-housing, accommodation, debt collection, attorney threat, chargeback, or disputed damage evidence appears.
Tenant-safe reply templates
1. Evidence review needed
Hi [Name], thanks for reaching out. I am going to review the deposit statement, move-out notes, and any photo or invoice records tied to [unit/address] before giving you a specific answer. We will follow up by [time/date] with the verified information or the next review step.
2. Accounting/manager review needed
Hi [Name], your question about [deposit item] needs manager/accounting review before we respond. I do not want to guess on the amount, timing, or decision. We have logged the request and will update you by [time/date] or ask for any missing information.
3. Missing information request
Hi [Name], to route this correctly, could you send [photo / invoice question / forwarding address / specific line item] related to the deposit question? Once we have that, [team member] can compare it with the approved move-out record and follow up.
AI review prompt
You are helping a property manager triage a tenant security deposit question. Use only the verified facts below. Do not invent lease terms, legal deadlines, refund timing, deductions, fee waivers, damage conclusions, accounting status, fair-housing answers, or collection language. If any required fact is missing, output NEEDS MANAGER REVIEW.
Verified facts:
[property/unit]
[tenant question]
[move-out date]
[deposit statement status]
[verified source records]
[amount/source]
[manager/accounting review status]
[evidence links]
[allowed public wording]
Create: (1) a short internal triage summary, (2) missing facts, (3) escalation bucket, (4) a tenant-safe draft under 120 words, and (5) the next CRM note.
Human-review stop rules
- STOP AUTOMATION before mentioning legal deadlines, deposit-return law, debt collection, attorney contact, fair-housing/accommodation issues, eviction history, chargebacks, or any deduction decision not already approved.
- NEEDS OWNER REVIEW if the tenant disputes evidence, asks for a waiver, alleges damage was pre-existing, raises habitability/safety, or challenges accounting accuracy.
- Do not promise refund timing, charge removal, payment amount, legal compliance, inspection outcome, or tenant liability unless the approved process explicitly says so.
- Keep tenant records, photos, invoices, and payment details inside the approved property-management system; do not paste private evidence into public or shared channels.
This is a practical free resource from Horizon Flow. The paid Local Lead Rescue System expands the same approach into lead capture, response, qualification, follow-up, quote recovery, and safe CRM handoff workflows.