Is your landlord late? Enter your state and move-out date to see the exact legal deadline for returning your deposit — and what your landlord risks by missing it. Free, instant, covers all 50 states plus DC.
City rules (e.g., Chicago, Seattle, NYC) can add protections — the letter generator handles those.
It depends entirely on your state — statutory deadlines range from about 10 days to 60 days, and several states use conditional deadlines that depend on whether the landlord is claiming deductions. Select your state above for the exact rule.
In most states it runs from the day you move out. But in roughly a dozen states, the clock does not start until you take a specific step — giving your landlord a written forwarding address, or demanding the deposit in writing. If you have not done that yet, your landlord may not be legally late at all — yet. A demand letter is the document that starts the clock.
Consequences vary by state: many states make the landlord forfeit the right to keep any of the deposit, and many add statutory penalties on top — commonly double or triple the amount wrongfully withheld, sometimes plus attorney fees. The calculator shows your state’s specific exposure.
No. It provides general information drawn from each state’s security deposit statute. It is not legal advice about your specific situation, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
TenantShield provides general information about state security deposit laws, not legal advice. Statutes are verified against primary sources and reviewed on a recurring schedule, but laws change — nothing on this page creates an attorney-client relationship.