Written by NotALawyer Legal AI · Reviewed by External Legal AI · Published April 26, 2026 · Last reviewed June 26, 2026
A step-by-step playbook for getting your deposit back — without a lawyer.
Evidence of the unit's condition when you returned the keys is what decides most deposit disputes. Before the walkthrough, shoot date-stamped photos and video of every room, wall, floor, and appliance. Open every cabinet and closet. Get the carpet, the inside of the oven, and the bathroom grout.
Do the walkthrough with the landlord or property manager and ask them to sign a move-out condition checklist. If they refuse, bring a friend or relative as a witness and have them sign a dated note describing what they saw.
In most states the return clock starts only after the landlord has your forwarding address in writing. Send it by certified mail with return receipt, or email with delivery confirmation, and keep a copy. State your move-out date and the address where the deposit or itemization should go.
Every state sets a fixed window — counted from move-out and, in most states, from the date you give a written forwarding address — for the landlord to refund the full deposit or send an itemized list of deductions. Miss it, and the landlord generally forfeits the right to withhold anything. Many states also let the tenant recover penalty damages on top.
The exact deadline, what starts the clock, and the penalty for missing it vary by state. The figures for your state appear when you select it above, and the full 50-state breakdown is in the comparison table on this page.
If the deadline passes with no refund and no itemization, send a written demand letter. Keep it factual: list your move-out date, the date you provided the forwarding address, the amount you're demanding, and a deadline to respond (10–14 days is typical).
Send it by certified mail, return receipt requested. That receipt becomes Exhibit A in small claims court — it proves the landlord had notice and a chance to fix things before being sued.
NotALawyer.com's letter writer can draft a formatted demand letter for your state — visit /letters and select "Demand Letter" to start.
If the demand letter goes unanswered, file in small claims court. Filing fees run about $30 to $100 depending on the county, and you generally don't need a lawyer. Some states route these cases to a justice or magistrate court and allow but don't require lawyers, while many small-claims courts bar attorneys entirely — which court hears your case and whether lawyers are allowed depends on your state.
Bring the originals: the lease, the move-out photos and video, the certified-mail receipts, the forwarding-address letter, the demand letter, and any messages from the landlord. Several states let the tenant recover statutory damages on top of the withheld deposit when the landlord acted in bad faith — typically a flat penalty plus a multiple of the wrongfully withheld amount and your reasonable attorney's fees. The penalty formula varies by state; select your state to see what applies, and check the comparison table for the full rundown.
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.