Draft a security-deposit demand letter to a silent landlord with ChatGPT
- Posted
- by The Economic Times (on a Reddit post)
- Last checked
- Method:
- How we verify
Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.
Outcome
The Economic Times reports that a tenant whose landlord stopped responding after move-out used GPT-4 to draft a formal letter demanding the return of a Rs 35,000 security deposit, after lawyers wouldn't take such a small case. The AI asked for names, address, amount, length of stay, rent and past contact attempts, and wrote a letter citing consumer laws and warning of legal action. The tenant says the landlord paid within a few days, and that they cross-checked the laws themselves after others warned about made-up legal references.
Agent
Prompt Recreated prompt
The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.
Run this task now, exactly as written below. Everything you need is here, so start straight away and only stop if something required is missing or a rule below tells you to. Goal: Draft a formal letter demanding the return of my security deposit, with the facts and the relevant rules for where I live. Fill in before running: - My name, landlord's name and the property address: [DETAILS] - Deposit amount and date paid: [AMOUNT, DATE] - Move-in and move-out dates, rent, and condition at move-out (photos?): [DETAILS] - Every attempt to contact the landlord, with dates: [LIST] - Country/state/city: [LOCATION] Rules: - Ask for any detail that's missing before drafting. - Name the deposit rules that apply where I live only if you can point to an official source, and list them separately so I can verify each one; never invent laws or case names. - Set a clear deadline (e.g. 14 days) and the next step if it's missed (small claims or consumer forum), stated calmly. - Don't send anything; I'll send it by a method that gives proof of delivery. - If a site asks for a login, a CAPTCHA or payment details, stop and hand control back to me. - Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. Output: The letter, a list of the laws cited with source links to check, and a note on how to send it with proof. You'll know it worked when: every legal reference checks out, and the landlord pays or replies by the deadline.
Optional stronger version
Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.
Run this task now, exactly as written below. Everything you need is here, so start straight away and only stop if something required is missing or a rule below tells you to. Goal: Draft a formal letter demanding the return of my security deposit, with the facts and the relevant rules for where I live. Fill in before running: - My name, landlord's name and the property address: [DETAILS] - Deposit amount and date paid: [AMOUNT, DATE] - Move-in and move-out dates, rent, and condition at move-out (photos?): [DETAILS] - Every attempt to contact the landlord, with dates: [LIST] - Country/state/city: [LOCATION] Rules: - Ask for any detail that's missing before drafting. - Name the deposit rules that apply where I live only if you can point to an official source, and list them separately so I can verify each one; never invent laws or case names. - Set a clear deadline (e.g. 14 days) and the next step if it's missed (small claims or consumer forum), stated calmly. - Don't send anything; I'll send it by a method that gives proof of delivery. - If a site asks for a login, a CAPTCHA or payment details, stop and hand control back to me. - Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. - Prepare a one-page summary I could bring to small claims court if it comes to that. Output: The letter, a list of the laws cited with source links to check, and a note on how to send it with proof. You'll know it worked when: every legal reference checks out, and the landlord pays or replies by the deadline. Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.
Source
Related cases
- Write a firm but friendly repair-request letter to a landlord with ChatGPTRecreated promptEvidence: Described by posterBeginner-friendly
Writer Deborah Sosin says her rented apartment's dishwasher broke in December 2024 and stayed broken despite multiple polite requests. With a new lease pending she asked ChatGPT to help write a forceful letter; it framed her priorities as keeping the tenancy, protecting her health, and getting the dishwasher replaced without triggering hostility. In a later update she says she had a cordial in-person talk with the landlady, a brand-new dishwasher was on the premises to be installed, and 'the letter worked.'
ChatGPT · Personal · Source date:
- Find extra apartment charges in email and request a refund with Grok BotRecreated promptEvidence: Screenshots or logs
The poster says that while getting him a parking spot, Grok Bot found about $986 of extraneous charges from his apartment in his email and emailed the building asking for a refund; he shared a screenshot.
Grok Bot · Personal · Source date:
After a new dentist's visit left her owing $1,201.80 on top of the $2,111.29 she'd already paid, Jamie Phillis gave ChatGPT her call transcripts, receipt, explanation of benefits and her insurer's appeal instructions. It wrote a formatted appeal letter in under a minute and flagged duplicate evaluations and a charge at seven times the allowed rate. The first appeal was denied; ChatGPT then drafted a second-level appeal and a complaint to the Arizona Department of Insurance. She says the case was never formally resolved, but the office never sent her a bill for the uncovered balance and she never paid the $1,200.
Poster says:$1,201.80 balance never billed after appeals
ChatGPT · Personal · Source date: