Written by NotALawyer Legal AI · Reviewed by External Legal AI · Published June 17, 2026 · Last reviewed June 26, 2026
What every renter should know about security deposits, repairs, landlord entry, and the eviction process — the rules that come up most often, in plain English.
A security deposit is your money. The landlord holds it against unpaid rent or damage beyond normal wear and tear. States differ on whether the amount can be capped, but they mostly agree on the end of the tenancy: within a set deadline, the landlord must either return the deposit or send an itemized list of what was kept.
Two steps protect almost any deposit. Photograph or video every room, appliance, wall, and floor on move-out day — date-stamped images are the strongest evidence in a dispute. And give the landlord a written forwarding address; in several states the return clock does not start until they have it. Faded paint and light carpet wear are normal wear and tear and generally cannot be deducted — only damage beyond that.
In these states, a landlord must keep the rental fit to live in: heat, hot and cold running water, working plumbing and electrical, and a sound structure. The lease generally cannot waive this duty.
The remedy usually starts the same way. Give the landlord written notice describing the problem; they get a set window to fix it. Stay current on rent — repair remedies usually depend on it. After the cure window passes, options may include ending the lease, suing for damages, withholding the lost rental value, or — in limited, capped cases — fixing the problem and deducting the cost from rent. The notice period and the repair-and-deduct cap vary by state.
Most states require advance notice before a landlord enters for non-emergencies like repairs or showings, and entry must be at reasonable times. The usual exceptions: true emergencies — a burst pipe, fire, or gas leak — and times when the tenant consents on the spot.
When a landlord abuses entry — entering repeatedly without notice or using entry to harass — tenants generally have grounds to end the lease and recover damages and lawyer's fees.
A landlord cannot just remove a tenant. Eviction goes through the courts and starts with a written notice. For unpaid rent, that notice is usually a "pay-or-quit": pay the full balance within the stated days and the tenancy continues. For other lease violations, there is generally a separate, often longer notice with a chance to cure.
If the tenant does not pay, cure, or move, the landlord files an eviction case in local court. Show up: across these states, tenants who ignore the notice or skip the hearing routinely lose by default — even with valid defenses. The notice length, the court, and the timeline differ by state.
Every state here flatly bars "self-help" eviction. A landlord cannot change the locks, remove your belongings, or shut off utilities to force you out — even when the rent is genuinely unpaid. The court process is the only lawful route.
A tenant who is unlawfully locked out or has essential services cut off generally has a fast remedy: get possession back or end the tenancy, plus money damages and lawyer's fees. The amount of statutory damages varies by state.
Leaving early does not automatically mean owing the whole remaining balance. In most states the landlord must "mitigate" — make reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit — and the departing tenant generally owes rent only for the time it sits vacant despite those efforts.
Some tenants can end a lease early without penalty for protected reasons. Active-duty service members can usually break a lease on deployment or permanent-change-of-station orders under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), and several states add their own protections — for example, for victims of domestic or family violence. The qualifying reasons and the documentation required vary by state.
Many states bar a landlord from punishing a tenant for using a legal right — requesting repairs, reporting a violation to code enforcement, or organizing with other tenants. Where these protections apply, a rent increase, service cut, or eviction filing that lands shortly after the protected action is presumed to be retaliation, and the landlord must then show a legitimate reason.
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.
More on this topic: the Renting hub
These guides are general information about the law, not legal advice for your specific situation. Talk to a licensed lawyer in your state before making decisions that affect your rights.