Written by NotALawyer Legal AI · Reviewed by External Legal AI · Published April 26, 2026 · Last reviewed June 26, 2026
Only for cleaning that goes beyond returning the unit to its move-in condition. A landlord can't charge you to clean what was already dirty when you moved in, or for the normal turnover cleaning any new tenant expects. Flat "professional cleaning fees" baked into a lease are often unenforceable.
You're generally responsible for leaving the unit reasonably clean: vacuumed, swept, kitchen wiped down. Routine turnover cleaning beyond that is the landlord's cost.
Many leases demand $200-$500 for professional cleaning regardless of condition. In California, flat-fee cleaning charges like that are unenforceable; in other states they hold up only if the unit is actually unclean.
Grease caked on the stove, pet stains in the carpet, trash bags left behind: the landlord can deduct the actual cost of cleaning that, backed by receipts.
Like any deduction, cleaning charges have to appear on the itemized deduction letter — the written statement most states require after move-out, listing each charge separately (what was cleaned or repaired, where, and what it cost), often with receipts or estimates attached. State law sets the deadline for sending it — commonly 14–30 days after you move out. A letter that arrives late, or that lumps everything into a vague "cleaning - $300" line, can forfeit the deductions in many states — the landlord then owes the full deposit back, sometimes plus penalties.
The strongest protection against a bogus cleaning charge is a full set of timestamped move-out photos showing the condition of every room when you left.
More on this topic: the Renting hub
Whether the deposit amount is capped, and how many days a landlord has to return it after a tenancy ends, in every state. A cell shows a figure where a verified statute sets one; otherwise the row links that state's primary source so you can read the rule directly.
| State | Deposit cap | Return deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1× monthly rent (except for pets, changes to the premises, or increased liability risks to the landlord or premises) | 60 calendar days | Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 |
| Alaska | 2× monthly rent (Does not apply to rental units where the rent exceeds $2,000 a month; a landlord may also require an additional pet deposit (for a non-service animal) not to exceed one month's periodic rent.) | 14 calendar days | Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070 |
| Arizona | 1.5× monthly rent | 14 business days | A.R.S. §33-1321 (security deposits) |
| Arkansas | 2× monthly rent (Per Ark. Code §18-16-303, the security-deposit subchapter (including this cap) does not apply to a landlord who owns five or fewer dwelling units, unless those units are managed by a third party for a fee.) | 60 calendar days | Ark. Code §18-16-305 (refund); cap at §18-16-304 |
| California | 1× monthly rent (Since July 1, 2024 (AB 12) the cap is one month's rent for furnished or unfurnished units. A small landlord who owns no more than two residential properties with four or fewer units total may collect up to two months' rent.) | 21 calendar days | Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5 (security deposits) |
| Colorado | See source | See source | Colo. Rev. Stat. §38-12-103 |
| Connecticut | 2× monthly rent (For a tenant 62 years of age or older, the maximum is one month's rent.) | 21 calendar days | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21 |
| Delaware | 1× monthly rent (Applies where the rental agreement is for 1 year or more; the statute sets no maximum for shorter (e.g. month-to-month) terms.) | 20 calendar days | 25 Del. C. § 5514 |
| District of Columbia | Not yet sourced | — | — |
| Florida | No statutory cap | 15 calendar days | Fla. Stat. §83.49 (security deposits) |
| Georgia | No statutory cap | 30 calendar days | O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34 |
| Hawaii | 1× monthly rent | 14 calendar days | Haw. Rev. Stat. §521-44 |
| Idaho | No statutory cap | 21 calendar days | Idaho Code § 6-321 |
| Illinois | No statutory cap | 45 calendar days | 765 ILCS 710/1 (Security Deposit Return Act) |
| Indiana | No statutory cap | 45 calendar days | Ind. Code § 32-31-3-12 |
| Iowa | 2× monthly rent | 30 calendar days | Iowa Code §562A.12 |
| Kansas | 1 month's rent (unfurnished); up to 1.5 months if furnished, plus up to 0.5 month extra for pets | 30 calendar days | K.S.A. 58-2550 |
| Kentucky | See source | See source | Ky. Rev. Stat. §383.500, Ky. Rev. Stat. §383.580(1), Ky. Rev. Stat. §383.580(4) |
| Louisiana | No statutory cap | 30 calendar days | La. R.S. 9:3251 |
| Maine | 2× monthly rent | 30 calendar days | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, §6033 |
| Maryland | 1× monthly rent (For leases entered into on or after October 1, 2024, the cap is 1 month's rent; a deposit of up to 2 months' rent is permitted only where the tenant qualifies for utility assistance and pays utilities directly to the landlord under a written agreement.) | 45 calendar days | Md. Code, Real Property § 8-203 |
| Massachusetts | 1× monthly rent (No lessor may require an amount in excess of the first month's rent as a security deposit (in addition to first and last month's rent and a lawful lock/key fee).) | 30 calendar days | M.G.L. c. 186, § 15B |
| Michigan | 1.5× monthly rent (Security deposit shall not exceed 1 1/2 months' rent (Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.602).) | 30 calendar days | Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.609 |
| Minnesota | No statutory cap | 21 calendar days | Minn. Stat. § 504B.178 |
| Mississippi | No statutory cap | 45 calendar days | Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-21 |
| Missouri | 2× monthly rent | 30 calendar days | Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.300 |
| Montana | No statutory cap | 30 calendar days | Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202 |
| Nebraska | 1× monthly rent (Limited to one month's periodic rent; a pet deposit not exceeding one-fourth of one month's periodic rent may additionally be demanded.) | 14 calendar days | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416 |
| Nevada | 3× monthly rent | 30 calendar days | NRS 118A.242 (security deposits) |
| New Hampshire | One month's rent or $100, whichever is greater | 30 calendar days | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540-A:7 |
| New Jersey | 1.5× monthly rent (Per N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2; any additional security collected annually may not exceed 10% of the current security deposit.) | 30 calendar days | N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1 (return); cap at N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2 |
| New Mexico | 1× monthly rent (This one-month cap applies to leases shorter than one year. For a lease of one year or longer, New Mexico sets no dollar cap on the deposit.) | 30 calendar days | NMSA 1978, §47-8-18 (deposits) |
| New York | 1× monthly rent (Since the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, the deposit (plus any advance) may not exceed one month's rent for most residential tenancies.) | 14 calendar days | N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law §7-108 |
| North Carolina | Up to 2 weeks' rent (week-to-week), 1.5 months' rent (month-to-month), or 2 months' rent (terms longer than month-to-month) | 30 calendar days | N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-51, 42-52 |
| North Dakota | 1× monthly rent (General maximum is one month's rent; the statute allows more (e.g., up to two months' rent) where the tenant has a felony conviction or a prior lease violation, and a pet security deposit may not exceed the greater of $2,500 or two months' rent.) | 30 calendar days | N.D. Cent. Code § 47-16-07.1 |
| Ohio | No statutory cap | 30 calendar days | Ohio Rev. Code §5321.16 |
| Oklahoma | No statutory cap | 45 calendar days | 41 Okla. Stat. § 115 |
| Oregon | No statutory cap | 31 calendar days | Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.300 |
| Pennsylvania | Two months' rent during the first year of the lease; no more than one month's rent during the second and subsequent years or any renewal | 30 calendar days | 68 P.S. §§ 250.511a, 250.512 (PA Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951) |
| Rhode Island | 1× monthly rent (one month's periodic rent) | 20 calendar days | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 |
| South Carolina | No statutory cap | 30 calendar days | S.C. Code § 27-40-410 |
| South Dakota | 1× monthly rent (A larger deposit may be agreed upon between the lessor and lessee where special conditions pose a danger to maintenance of the premises (SDCL 43-32-6.1).) | 14 calendar days | SDCL § 43-32-24 (return) & § 43-32-6.1 (cap) |
| Tennessee | See source | See source | Tenn. Code §66-28-102(a), Tenn. Code §66-28-301(a), Tenn. Code §66-28-301(f) |
| Texas | No statutory cap | 30 calendar days | Tex. Prop. Code §92.103 (return of security deposit) |
| Utah | No statutory cap | 30 calendar days | Utah Code § 57-17-3 |
| Vermont | No statutory cap | 14 calendar days | 9 V.S.A. § 4461 |
| Virginia | 2× monthly rent | 45 calendar days | Va. Code § 55.1-1226 |
| Washington | No statutory cap | 30 calendar days | Wash. Rev. Code §59.18.280 |
| West Virginia | No statutory cap | 60 calendar days | W. Va. Code §37-6A-1 |
| Wisconsin | No statutory cap | 21 calendar days | Wis. Stat. § 704.28 |
| Wyoming | No statutory cap | 30 calendar days | Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1208 |
General statutory information, not legal advice. Caps and deadlines carry exceptions — for example, the return clock often starts only once the tenant gives a written forwarding address. Open the cited statute for the exact text and confirm the current law for your state.
NotALawyer.com provides general legal information, not legal advice.