Security deposits: your renter rights
Last updated: September 2, 2026 · How we source & update
Most states cap deposits, limit deductions to real damage beyond normal wear and tear, and require an itemized statement by a deadline. You can usually dispute vague or unsupported deductions — and many renters recover money.
First step, today: Before anything else, send your forwarding address in writing and keep proof. In several states the deposit clock does not start until you do, and it is the cheapest step on this page.
Where this comes from: This is general national framing. The deadlines, dollar limits and remedies that decide your case are set by your state, city, lease and housing type — your state page carries the sourced rule with its official citation and its review status. This wording has not been attorney-reviewed.
Educational — information, not legal advice, and not attorney-reviewed. Rules depend on your state, city, and lease; the app shows the rule we have sourced for where you live, with its official source and review status.
What this means
A security deposit is your money, held by the landlord as protection against unpaid rent or damage. When you move out, the landlord can typically deduct only for real damage beyond normal wear and tear, and most states require a written, itemized list of any deductions returned by a set deadline.
Ordinary wear — faded paint, small nail holes, worn carpet from normal use — generally can't be charged to you. If deductions are vague, unsupported, or clearly wear and tear, you can push back, and a written demand or small-claims case often recovers the money.
What should I do?
- Take dated move-in and move-out photos and give your landlord a forwarding address in writing.
- Ask, in writing, for an itemized statement with receipts or estimates.
- Compare each charge against normal wear and tear; note anything unsupported.
- If unresolved, send a written demand — the app drafts one — or consider small claims.
Every letter and checklist above is free, with no login. If money or an eviction deadline is urgent, start with free rental assistance and legal aid in your state — help is always free.
Do my rights vary by state?
The specific deadlines and limits are set where you live. Start with your state:
Comparing deadlines across states? Our return-deadline dataset is transcribed from official statutes (pending attorney review) with CSV/JSON downloads.
What do renters commonly ask about this?
Which terms should I know?
Related: Reading your lease · Landlord & lease disputes · Free legal help · Small claims
Which questions does this guide answer?
Each answer below is quoted from its own page, where the full explanation, your state's rules and the free next steps live.
Can my landlord keep my deposit without proof of damages?
Generally no — most states require a landlord to give you an itemized written statement of any deductions, and they can’t charge you for ordinary wear and tear. Vague or unsupported deductions can usually be disputed. Your state also sets a deadline to return the deposit or the itemized list.
Can my landlord keep my deposit and still bill me for more?
Only for real, documented costs. A landlord can seek amounts beyond your deposit if actual damage or unpaid rent genuinely exceeds it — but they must be able to prove it, usually with an itemized accounting, and you can dispute charges you believe are wrong or inflated. They can’t simply demand extra money.
My landlord is not returning my security deposit
First confirm the clock has actually started: in many states the landlord’s deadline runs from move-out and from your giving a written forwarding address — if you never sent one, send it now, in writing, and keep proof. Then send a short written demand naming the amount and the deadline your state sets. If it passes, most states let you sue in small claims, and many add a penalty for bad-faith retention. This page is about a deposit that is overdue or not returned at all. If the landlord returned part and you dispute the deductions, see deposit kept without proof instead.
How do security deposit return laws work?
Every state has its own security deposit return law, and they share a shape: the landlord holds the deposit during the tenancy, then after move-out either returns it or sends an itemized statement of what was kept and why, within a period the state sets. Most states bar deductions for ordinary wear and tear, and many attach a penalty when the landlord ignores the return rule entirely.
What differs is the clock, any cap on the deposit, whether interest is owed, and what the penalty is. Those live in your state chapter, which the app shows with its official source and review status.
Turn this into action.
Renter Shield shows the rule we have sourced for your state with its review status, drafts calm letters, tracks deadlines, and keeps your evidence private on your device — free to start.
Related renter questions
Where am I in this process?
Security deposit: the evidence timeline — a stage map with no deadlines, showing what each stage means and what to do at it. All five decision guides.