Legal
What a demand letter does, and when it is the right step
A letter setting out a dispute and what you want resolves a surprising share of them, and costs a stamp.
A demand letter states the facts, the obligation you say was broken, what you want, and by when. It is not a court filing and carries no automatic force. Its value is that it puts a specific, dated claim in front of somebody who can settle it, and it creates a record that an attempt was made.
Some processes require one. Certain consumer protection and landlord-tenant statutes make a written demand a precondition for suing, or for recovering particular costs, and skipping it can cap what a court will later award.
Tone does the work. A letter that is specific, chronological and unemotional is more likely to be passed to somebody with authority to settle than one that threatens. Attaching copies — never originals — of the documents that prove the facts shortens the exchange considerably.
Send it so that delivery is provable, keep a copy, and set a realistic deadline. If the dispute involves a sum worth real money or a continuing relationship, having a lawyer review the draft is a small cost against the alternative.
What to do next. Write it with dates, amounts and documents attached, send it with proof of delivery, and keep a copy.
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