Itemized deduction statement

You do not pay for normal wear and tear (the slow wearing out that comes from normal living). Faded paint and worn carpet are wear and tear. Stains, rips, burns, and large holes in the wall are damage. Your landlord can charge you for damage.

When you move out and your lease ends, your landlord can use your deposit money to pay any rent you still owe. This includes rent that came due before you moved out but that you never paid.

Your landlord can use your deposit money to pay for a loss caused by not meeting certain tenant duties under Alabama law. Your landlord must list this amount in a written notice to you.

Alabama law requires you to keep the part of the home you live in as clean and safe as its condition allows. It also requires you to get rid of trash, garbage, and other waste in a clean and safe way. If you do not, your landlord can count this against your deposit.

Alabama law says you must not damage the home on purpose or through carelessness. You must make sure no guest you allow inside does this either. Your landlord can use this kind of damage to take money from your deposit.

Alabama law requires you to follow building and housing codes that materially affect health and safety. In plain words, that means codes that seriously affect whether the home is safe to live in. Breaking a serious safety rule like this is something your landlord can count against your deposit.

If your landlord does not send back your whole deposit, it must give you a written list of the amounts it kept and why. Your landlord must send you this list within that same 60 days.

Your landlord must mail you a written list of the rent owed and the damage charged. It goes to your last known address, with the amount due to you, within the deadline.

Your landlord may take unpaid rent and damage costs from your deposit or prepaid rent. Damage means the home or its contents got worse. Normal wear and tear (wear from normal use) is not damage.

Normal wear and tear (wear from normal use) comes from using the rental unit as intended. It happens without negligence (lack of care), carelessness, accident, misuse, or abuse. This covers you, your household, and your invitees or guests.

Your landlord cannot charge you when the home got worse because the landlord did not prepare for expected conditions. The same is true if the landlord did not do something this Alaska law requires of landlords.

Your landlord cannot keep any of your deposit to cover normal wear and tear (wear from normal use of the home). State law says it is wear from using the home as intended. It must happen without negligence, carelessness, accident, abuse or damage done on purpose. A home left dirty is not normal wear and tear.

If your landlord has a real reason to keep part of your deposit, they must send you an itemized written list. The list must show each amount they kept and why.

Your landlord can use your deposit to cover unpaid rent, unpaid utilities (water, electric, gas), repair costs, or other real damage to the home.

Your landlord can take unpaid rent out of your deposit. Your landlord can also take out any other charges that your signed lease lists.

Your landlord can also take out the cost of damage you caused by not keeping up your duties under Arizona's landlord-tenant law. Before taking that cost out, your landlord must first try to keep the loss as small as possible.

Your landlord mails you a written list of what was taken out of your deposit. If you do not dispute what was taken out or the amount you are owed within 60 days after that, it becomes final. After that, you lose the right to dispute it.

A landlord who rents 6 or more homes may take two things out of your deposit. One is the cost to repair damage to the home. The other is any rent you owe.

A landlord who rents 6 or more homes may take money out of your deposit. If so, the landlord must give you a written, itemized list (each charge listed one by one). The list is due within 60 days of the time you vacate (move out).

A landlord who rents 6 or more homes may keep your whole deposit if the damage or unpaid rent costs more than the deposit.

If your landlord keeps any part of the deposit, you must get a written list of every charge. The list must come with the rest of your money. The landlord can skip the list only if you still owe rent and you both agree on that amount. Never skip your last month of rent and tell the landlord to take it from the deposit. Texas law can make you pay 3 times the rent you held back. For example, 3 times a $1,000 rent is $3,000. You could also owe the landlord's lawyer costs if taken to court.

Your landlord can only take money out for rent you owe, water charges you owe, or certain property taxes you owe.

Your landlord can also take money out for damage you caused. They cannot charge you for normal wear and tear (normal use over time).

If your landlord charges you for damage, they must send you a sworn list of what was taken out and why, within those 30 days. They must also send bills, estimates, or receipts showing the cost.

Your deposit must come back to you. A lease cannot call any part of it nonrefundable (money you never get back). Your landlord may only keep money for 4 things. These are unpaid rent, damage you or your guests caused, and cleaning to the level when you moved in. The fourth is replacing the landlord's furniture, if your lease allows it.

Your landlord cannot charge your deposit for normal wear and tear (the ordinary wear that comes from living in a home). Your landlord also cannot charge for damage that existed before you moved in. Professional carpet cleaning can only be charged if it is really needed.

If the money taken out for repairs and cleaning adds up to more than $125, your landlord must send you receipts. Copies of the receipts or bills come with the list of what was taken out and why. If the landlord or their employee did the work, the statement must describe the work, the hours spent, and the hourly rate. If the total is $125 or less and you did not get receipts, you can still ask for them. Ask within 14 days of getting the statement. Your landlord then has 14 days to send them.

The landlord can only take money out of your deposit for unpaid rent and damage you caused. Normal wear does not count as damage. To take money out for damage, the landlord must mail you a list showing what was taken, how much, and why, within 30 days. Paid repair receipts must follow within another 30 days.

Your landlord can only keep money from your deposit for 4 reasons. These are rent you did not pay, unpaid bills for utilities (water, electric, gas), or other unpaid lawful charges listed in your lease. Your landlord can also keep money for repairs, but only for damage beyond normal wear and tear (ordinary use over time). The damage must not have been there before you moved in. Your landlord cannot use any of these reasons if the real purpose is to punish you, discriminate against you, or break the law.

If your landlord has a real reason to keep part of your deposit, your landlord must send you a written statement listing the exact reasons. Your landlord must send this statement along with the rest of your deposit. Your landlord can mail these to your last known address, or email them to an address your landlord actually uses to reach you.

Your landlord cannot charge to replace all the carpet unless the damage is serious. The damage must also be so bad it cannot be repaired, and go beyond normal wear and tear (ordinary use over time). The damage also must not have been there before you moved in. Your landlord can still charge for damage in just that area, if it has this same serious damage that cannot be repaired. Your landlord cannot call carpet damage this serious if the carpet has not been replaced with new carpet in the last 10 years.

Your landlord cannot charge to paint your home again unless the damage is serious and beyond normal wear and tear (ordinary use over time). This rule is about damage across your whole home. The damage also must not have been there before you moved in. Your landlord can still charge you to paint just one damaged part again, if that part has this kind of serious damage.

If your lease tries to take away or change any of these deposit protections, a court will not enforce that part of your lease. If your lease charges a cleaning or repair fee for normal wear and tear (ordinary use over time), a court will not enforce it. The same is true for a fee about damage that was already there before you moved in.

For a move-out on or after January 1, 2026, you can ask your landlord in writing why part of your deposit was kept. Your landlord must send you papers that back up those reasons. This applies if your landlord's statement reaches you within 14 days of your request. The papers can include photos, inspection notes, receipts, bills, or cost estimates.

When your rental ends, your landlord has two choices. Your landlord can send your full deposit back with the interest it earned, or send the rest of it after taking out what you owe. If your landlord takes anything out, your landlord must also send a written list explaining what was taken and why.

Connecticut law limits what counts as money you owe for this purpose. Your landlord can subtract rent or unpaid utilities (water, electric, gas). Your landlord can also subtract money for damage if you do not meet your duties as a tenant. This includes keeping the unit clean and not damaging it on purpose or by being careless. Your landlord can also subtract the cost of changing your locks, if you have not already paid for it.

Your landlord may use the deposit for real damage you caused. That means damage beyond normal wear and tear (wear from ordinary and reasonable use). It also means damage that painting and ordinary cleaning cannot fix.

Your landlord may also use the deposit for all unpaid rent. That includes late charges. It includes rent due for ending the rental agreement early or for abandonment (leaving it for good).

If you have a pet deposit, your landlord must first take damage caused by an animal from the pet deposit. If the pet deposit is not enough, the landlord may take the rest from the security deposit.

Within 20 days after your rental agreement ends or expires, your landlord must give you a list of the damage. The list must show the estimated repair cost for each item. The landlord must also pay you the difference between the deposit and those costs.

Your landlord may fail to give you the damage list and payment within 20 days after your rental agreement ends or expires. If so, that counts as the landlord agreeing that no payment for damage is due.

If you accept a payment sent with the damage list, you agree to the damage the landlord listed. You can avoid that by objecting in writing to the amount held back within 10 days after you receive the payment.

If your landlord plans to keep part of your deposit, they have 30 days after your lease ends to mail you written notice. The notice must go by certified mail to your last known mailing address, or by email under Florida's e-notice law. It must state how much money your landlord wants to keep and the reason for keeping it.

If your landlord keeps part of your deposit for damage, the landlord must send you a notice within 30 days. The notice must name the damage and its estimated dollar amount. It must also include a refund of the rest of the deposit, if any is left.

A Georgia landlord cannot keep your deposit for normal wear and tear. Normal wear and tear means the small damage that builds up over time when you or your guests use the home in the ordinary way.

A Georgia landlord may keep part of your deposit for damage that you, your household, pets or guests cause. This includes damage done on purpose, by accident or by carelessness. The landlord may also keep it for unpaid rent or late charges. Other reasons are unpaid pet fees and unpaid utilities (water, electric, gas) that were yours under the lease. Another is damage to the landlord caused by ending the lease early.

In Georgia, a charge for damage should be based on the condition of the home when you moved in. Example: a tenant ruins a 10-year-old carpet. The charge should be the value of a 10-year-old carpet, not the cost of a new one. Amounts kept must be reasonable.

If your landlord plans to keep part of your deposit, your landlord must tell you in writing. The notice must give the details and the reasons. It must come with written proof of the costs, such as estimates, invoices (bills) or receipts. The notice is not required if you wrongfully quit (left without a legal right) the unit.

Your landlord may keep part of a deposit for these reasons. First, damage from not following your tenant duties in HRS 521-51 (such as keeping your part of the home clean and safe). Second, unpaid rent. Third, keys you do not return, including parking cards, garage door openers and mail box keys. Fourth, cleaning so the home is as fit as when you moved in. Fifth, damage by a tenant who wrongfully quits (leaves without a legal right). Sixth, damage by a pet the rental agreement allowed. Seventh, unpaid utilities (water, electric, gas) the landlord provided that are not in the rent.

Say you are away for 20 days or more in a row without written notice to your landlord. The law then treats you as having wrongfully quit (left without a legal right) the unit. You are not treated as away without notice during any time your landlord has received rent. Your landlord may then keep your entire deposit.

When your lease or rental agreement ends and you give up the rental, your landlord must refund your security deposit. The landlord may keep only amounts needed for the contingencies (possible costs) listed in the deposit arrangement. A security deposit is any money you gave the landlord for something other than rent.

Your landlord cannot keep any part of your deposit for normal wear and tear (normal use over time). Normal wear and tear is wear from the use the unit is meant for. It leaves out negligence, carelessness, accident, or misuse or abuse by you, your household, or their invitees or guests.

If your landlord sends back less than your full deposit, a signed statement must come with it. It must list the amounts kept and why. It must also list in detail what was spent from the deposit.

If a tenant gives no proper notice and ends the lease early, the landlord may use the deposit. It may cover the landlord's actual expenses in re-renting the property.

The Idaho Consumer Protection Act bars a landlord from saying a repair is needed when it is not. Suppose the landlord takes money from your deposit for imaginary repairs, or for items damaged before you moved in. Send the landlord a letter objecting to the list of what was taken.

Your landlord may use the deposit for unpaid rent and for restoring the unit to its original condition. Your landlord may not charge you for normal wear and tear (damage from reasonable use over time, like small nail holes). Repair charges must be for damage beyond normal wear and tear. If your lease lists a set price for a repair, that price must also be for damage beyond normal wear and tear.

Since January 1, 2024, this rule covers every landlord of a rented home in Illinois. To keep any part of your deposit for damage, your landlord must send you an itemized statement (a list of each item and its cost). The deadline is 30 days after you move out, or 30 days after your right to be there ends, whichever is later. Your landlord may hand it to you, mail it to your last known address, or email it to an email address you gave and confirmed.

The landlord's statement must include paid receipts for each repair. Sometimes the landlord sends a cost guess instead of receipts. Then the landlord must send the paid receipts within 30 days after that. If the landlord did the work, the statement may include a fair charge for that work.

A landlord may not keep any part of a damage or security deposit unless back rent is due or the home is damaged. The Indiana courts' small claims manual says so.

Indiana law lets a landlord take three kinds of amounts out of your deposit. One is unpaid rent. One is a loss the landlord has suffered or will reasonably suffer because you did not follow the law or the rental agreement. One is unpaid utility (water, electric, gas) or sewer charges you owe under the rental agreement. The landlord must list each amount in a written notice. The Court of Appeals quoted this law word for word in Wang v. Sun (2023).

A landlord can get a court order for money only for damage beyond normal wear and tear (the wear that comes from everyday use). The Indiana courts' small claims manual says so.

The Indiana courts' small claims manual says tenants are expected to leave the home as clean as when they got it. It says the landlord can claim the cost of cleaning to get the home back to that state.

Return all keys to your landlord as soon as you move out. The Indiana courts' small claims manual says the landlord may charge additional rent until the keys are returned or the locks are changed. It says the cost of new locks may then be taken out of the security deposit.

If your landlord keeps any part of your deposit, they must give you a written statement inside the 30-day deadline. This statement must give the specific reason for keeping the money. If the reason is damage to your home, the statement must also describe what the damage is.

Your landlord can take from your deposit only a reasonable (fair) amount to cover unpaid rent or other money you owe under your lease. They cannot take more than this for this reason.

Your landlord can also take the cost of fixing damage to your home beyond ordinary wear and tear. Ordinary wear and tear means the normal wear you would expect from everyday living. This covers bringing your home back to the condition it was in when you moved in. It does not cover ordinary wear and tear, only damage beyond that.

Your landlord can take the cost of getting your home back from you, but only in a narrow case. You must have been told that you broke the lease, and afterward you did not act honestly about leaving and moving out. This reason is different from the reason about fixing damage to your home.

Kansas law limits what your landlord can take from your deposit. Your landlord can use it for unpaid rent. Your landlord can use it for damage from you not following your duties as a renter or the terms of your lease. Your landlord can also use it for another cost your lease allows, other than rent.

Before your landlord keeps any of your deposit, Kansas law requires a written notice. This notice must list each charge. Your landlord must deliver this notice to you.

You are responsible for damage to the home. This includes damage caused by you, by your guests, or by a pet you let stay there with your permission. Your landlord can take the cost of fixing this damage out of your deposit.

You must keep the part of the home you use as clean and safe as its condition allows. You must also remove trash, garbage, ashes, and other waste in a clean and safe way. If you do not, your landlord can take the cost of cleaning up out of your deposit.

You must use the electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, and other systems in the home in a reasonable way. If you damage them through careless use, your landlord can take the repair cost out of your deposit.

When you move out, Kentucky law requires your landlord to inspect the home. Your landlord must make a written list of any damage that will be the basis for taking money from your deposit. The list must cover every item of damage, and give the cost to fix each one.

If you move out owing last month's rent, and do not ask for the deposit, Kentucky law allows your landlord to wait 30 days. After that, your landlord can take the deposit from the account to pay the rent you owe.

When your rental ends, your landlord can keep only the amounts reasonably needed for 3 things. These are unpaid rent, repair of damage you caused other than normal wear, and reasonable cleaning costs.

Normal wear is wear on the home that happens without negligence, carelessness, or abuse by you, your household, or someone there with your consent. For repairs, when your tenancy ends, your landlord can keep only what is reasonably needed to repair damage you caused, not normal wear.

When your tenancy ends, your landlord must give you an itemized written accounting of your deposit. This is a written list showing what happened to your deposit money.

The landlord can only take money out of your deposit for unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear (use over time), and needed cleaning. Normal wear and tear is never your bill.

If the amount taken out of your deposit totals more than $125, the landlord must send proof. Proof means the repair bills, invoices (a bill for work done), or receipts.

Your landlord can keep part of your deposit only to pay for a failure to do what your lease requires. Your landlord can also keep part of your deposit to pay for damage beyond normal wear and tear (the ordinary wear from everyday use). Your landlord can only keep the amount that is reasonably needed to cover the failure or the damage.

If your landlord keeps any part of your deposit, your landlord must mail you a written list explaining what was kept and why. That list is due within 1 month after your lease ends, or 15 more days after that if needed.

Your landlord cannot keep any part of your deposit to pay for normal wear and tear. Normal wear and tear means the wearing down that happens from using the home as intended, without negligence, carelessness, accident or abuse.

If your landlord keeps part of your deposit, the written list of reasons must come with a payment of the rest of the deposit. The rest is the deposit minus the amount kept.

Your landlord may keep part of your deposit for some reasons. Examples are the cost of storing and disposing of property no one has claimed, and unpaid rent. Another example is unpaid charges for utilities (water, electric, gas) that you had to pay directly to the landlord.

Your landlord can keep part of your deposit only for unpaid rent, damage from breaking the lease, or damage beyond normal wear and tear. Normal wear and tear means damage from ordinary daily use, not carelessness or abuse. Your landlord can only keep back money for this damage if it was caused by you, your family, agents or employees, or guests. This applies to damage to the home itself, shared areas of the building, or the landlord's own appliances and furniture.

Your deposit is not a fee your landlord can keep just for breaking the lease. Your landlord can keep only the amount that matches the cost of your broken lease, or a legal fee allowed under a separate law. Your landlord cannot keep your whole deposit as a penalty if the actual cost was less.

If your landlord keeps any part of your deposit, your landlord must mail you a written list of the damage. This list must include an itemized bill (a list that breaks down each cost) for the repairs. Your landlord must send this by first-class mail to your last known address within 45 days after your rental ends.

If your landlord does not send the list of damage, your landlord loses the right to keep any part of your deposit for damage.

Your landlord can take money out of your deposit for unpaid rent or unpaid water bills. This does not include money you held back as the law allows. They can also take money for certain unpaid increases in property taxes that your lease requires you to pay. Apart from damage to the home, Massachusetts law does not allow your landlord to take money from your deposit for anything else.

Your landlord can take a reasonable amount out of your deposit to fix damage caused by you or by people you let into the home. Your landlord cannot charge you for reasonable wear and tear (the normal aging of a home from everyday use).

If your landlord takes money out of your deposit to pay for damage, they must send you a detailed, signed list describing that damage. They must send this list within the same 30 days after your rental ends. They must also send you bills, estimates, or receipts showing what the repairs actually cost or are expected to cost.

Your landlord can only use your security deposit for 4 things. Those are damage you caused beyond normal use, unpaid rent, including rent for leaving early, and unpaid bills for utilities (water, electric, gas). Your landlord cannot use your deposit for anything else.

Your landlord must send you a written list of damage to the home that it will charge against your deposit. The list must show each item of damage, what it will cost to fix, and how much your landlord is charging you for it.

Your landlord's written list of damage must tell you to reply by mail within 7 days after you get it. If you do not reply by mail within 7 days, you lose the amount your landlord claimed for damage.

If your landlord keeps any part of your deposit, they must send you a written statement giving the specific reason for keeping it. They must send this by the same deadline. That is 3 weeks after you move out, or 5 days if you left due to a condemned (declared unsafe) building. This deadline starts only once they have your mailing address or delivery instructions.

Your landlord may only keep the amount reasonably needed from your deposit, for 2 reasons. The first is unpaid rent or other money you owe under your lease. The second is to fix damage beyond normal wear and tear (the ordinary wear that happens from everyday use, not damage). Your landlord cannot keep your deposit for normal wear and tear.

Your landlord may take only amounts reasonably necessary out of your deposit, and must claim them by written notice to you. The allowed costs are unpaid rent and cleaning when your rental ends. Repairs for damage you caused are allowed, but not normal wear and tear (normal use over time). Other reasonable and necessary costs that result from your default (not meeting your lease duties) count too. The deposit must have been made for one or more of those purposes.

Your landlord may take money for repairing damage you caused. That does not include normal wear and tear (normal use over time).

To keep any part of your deposit, your landlord must send you a written notice that lists each amount claimed.

In Missouri, your landlord can take money from your deposit to cover rent you did not pay under your lease. Your lease is the written rental agreement between you and your landlord. Your landlord can only take the amount of unpaid rent you actually owe, not more.

Missouri law lets your landlord take money from your deposit to pay for damage to the home. That only covers damage beyond wear and tear (the usual aging that happens from everyday living). Your landlord cannot take money from your deposit for that normal wear and tear.

Your lease can set a fee for carpet cleaning, but only if it warns you that you could owe more than that fee. If your lease has that warning, your landlord can take the actual cost of carpet cleaning from your deposit. That cost is on top of wear and tear (the usual aging from everyday use). Your landlord must give you a receipt for that actual cost within 30 days after you move out.

Your lease or Missouri law may require you to give notice before you move out and end your lease. If you do not give that notice, your landlord can take the actual money it loses from your deposit. Your landlord can only do this if it makes reasonable efforts to keep that loss as small as possible. Your landlord cannot take more from your deposit than the actual money it lost.

Your landlord can take money from your deposit for its loss from your late or missing move-out notice. Before it does, Missouri law requires your landlord to first make a reasonable effort to keep that money loss as low as possible.

Your landlord may take money out of your deposit for the damage the landlord says you caused. The allowed list includes unpaid rent, late charges, utilities (water, electric, gas), and penalties due under your lease. It also includes other money you owe and actual cleaning costs, with a reasonable charge for the landlord's labor.

Your landlord may not take or hold back any part of your deposit for other reasons. Only the reasons in the law's list of what can be taken out are allowed.

Your landlord may not take cleaning charges out of your deposit until the landlord gives you written notice. The notice must list the cleaning you did not do. It must also list the additional cleaning needed to bring the home back to its condition when you rented it. The notice is not needed if you leave without telling your landlord.

After your landlord delivers the cleaning notice, you have 24 hours to do the cleaning it lists. One case is different. Your rental agreement has ended under a Montana law that gives your landlord a claim for possession, rent, and money for its losses. The landlord has filed that claim in court.

Your landlord must give you the written list of damage and cleaning charges. If not, the landlord loses the right to keep any part of your deposit for damage or cleaning charges.

When your rental ends, your landlord may use your deposit and prepaid rent to pay rent you owe. Your landlord may also use it for money the landlord lost because you did not follow the rental agreement.

Your landlord must deliver or mail you the balance of your deposit. A written list must come with it. The list shows what part of the deposit was not returned.

A government order may remove you from the home because it is not fit to live in. Say the cause is your landlord's negligence (carelessness) or neglect. Then you do not owe money for the landlord's losses directly related to your removal.

Your landlord may keep only what is needed to cover unpaid rent, damage you caused beyond normal wear, or cleaning costs. Normal wear means regular use of the home that is not your fault. Your landlord cannot take more from your deposit than these actual costs.

Your landlord must give you a written list that shows exactly what was taken out of your deposit and why, item by item. It must be written down, not just something your landlord tells you by phone or in person.

If the home has damage, your landlord may take the cost of repair out of your deposit. Reasonable wear and tear (the normal wearing down from use) is not counted as damage.

Your landlord must give you a written, itemized list (a list that names each item) of any damage the landlord says you must pay for. The list must say in detail what repair is needed. It must also give satisfactory evidence that the repair has been or will be completed.

If your landlord keeps money from your deposit for repairs, the landlord must show proof. The proof must show the repair is done or will be done. Proof can be receipts for repair parts, work estimates, or bills that show the cost. Other proof can count too.

Your landlord may take unpaid rent out of your deposit. The landlord may take other lawful charges due under the lease that remain unpaid. The landlord may take a share of a real estate tax increase. That applies if your lease says you pay it and it comes due during the lease. The landlord must give you a written, itemized list (a list that names each item). It must show in detail the period the claim covers.

Your landlord can take money from your deposit for damage beyond normal wear and tear (the ordinary aging of a home from everyday use). Your landlord can also take any other money you owe under your lease.

If your landlord takes money out of your deposit, your landlord must send you a list of what was taken out and why. Your landlord must mail this list by registered or certified mail within 30 days after you move out.

Your landlord cannot keep any of your deposit to cover normal wear and tear (ordinary wear from living in the home).

State law defines normal wear and tear (normal use over time) as damage that happens only from living in the home. It must happen without negligence, carelessness, accidents, abuse, or damage done on purpose. A home left dirty does not count as normal wear and tear.

If your landlord has a real reason to keep part of your deposit, they must send you a written list. The list must show each amount kept, the reason for each one, and any money still owed to you.

Your landlord can use your deposit to pay unpaid rent, unpaid utilities (water, electric, gas), repair costs, or other real damage to the home.

Your landlord may keep only reasonable costs for 4 things, each one listed with what it was for. The first is unpaid rent. The second is damage you caused beyond normal wear and tear (normal use over time, like faded paint or small nail holes). The third is bills for utilities (water, electric, gas) you owed directly to the landlord under the lease. The fourth is moving or storing your belongings. Your landlord cannot charge you for normal wear from living there. Your landlord cannot charge you for damage a past tenant caused.

Your landlord has a 14 day deadline for the list of what was kept and for the refund. If your landlord misses it, the landlord loses the right to keep any of it. That is true even if there was real damage. You can then demand the full amount.

Your landlord can only take money from the deposit for unpaid rent or for damage beyond normal wear. Normal wear means small marks from everyday living. The landlord cannot charge you for that.

If the landlord takes any money for damage, they must give you a list of what was taken out and why. They must do this within 14 days of your move out. If they miss that deadline, they must return the whole deposit, even if there was damage.

By law, your landlord in North Carolina can only use your deposit for a specific list of costs. These include rent you did not pay, unpaid water or sewer bills, and unpaid electric bills. Your landlord can also use it for damage to the home. This includes a damaged or destroyed smoke alarm or carbon monoxide alarm (a device that detects a dangerous gas).

Your landlord can use your deposit for money you owe if you break your lease and move out early. This does not apply if you ended the lease under N.C.G.S. 42-45 or 42-45.1. It also does not apply if you had to leave because your landlord broke certain housing laws. The same is true if your landlord did not keep the home fit to live in.

Your landlord can use your deposit for unpaid bills that become a lien (a legal claim on the property) because you lived there. It can also cover the costs of re-renting after you break the lease, and court costs.

Your landlord can use your deposit for the cost of removing and storing your belongings after an eviction case. It can also cover fees North Carolina law allows.

Your landlord cannot use your deposit for normal wear and tear (normal use over time). Your landlord also cannot keep more of your deposit than your landlord's actual costs.

A landlord who keeps part of your deposit must itemize it (list out what the money was used for). The list and the amount due must be delivered or mailed to the last address you gave your landlord.

The notice about your deposit must say what you still owe the landlord, or the refund due to you.

When a lease ends, a landlord may use your deposit and its interest for unpaid rent. A landlord may use it for damage to the home caused by your pet, or by the negligence (carelessness) of you or your guest.

A landlord may use your deposit for cleaning or repairs that were your responsibility. They must be needed to return the home to its original state when you took possession. Normal wear and tear (normal use over time) does not count.

Your landlord can take money from your deposit for unpaid rent and for damage you caused to the home. This is limited to damage caused by you breaking the lease or not meeting your duties as a tenant under Ohio law.

Your landlord cannot charge you for normal wear and tear (normal use of the home over time, not damage you caused). Your landlord also cannot charge you the full cost of replacing something like the carpet for the whole home. They also cannot use a vague reason like a general cleaning fee.

Your landlord can use your deposit to pay rent you owe. Your landlord can also use it to pay for damage you caused by breaking your lease or breaking Oklahoma's rental rules. Your lease or Oklahoma law may allow your landlord to take out other charges too.

If your landlord plans to keep any part of your deposit, your landlord must give you a written list. The list must state each reason your landlord is keeping that money.

Oregon law requires your landlord to send you a written list stating specifically why, if your landlord keeps any part of your deposit. Your landlord must send this list within 31 days after your renting ends and you hand back your keys. Your landlord must send a separate list for your security deposit and for any prepaid rent.

Your landlord must give you the written list of what your landlord kept, or your deposit, by personal delivery or by first class mail. Your landlord may email it instead only if you both agreed in writing, as allowed under Oregon's landlord notice law.

Your landlord can only take the amount reasonably necessary out of your deposit for unpaid rent or other amounts you owe under your lease. Your landlord can also take this amount to repair damage you caused. Your landlord cannot charge you for ordinary wear and tear (normal use over time).

Your landlord does not have to actually fix the damage you caused to charge you for it from your deposit. Any labor cost your landlord charges for cleaning or repairs must be a reasonable hourly rate, even if your landlord does the work personally.

Your landlord can only claim money from your deposit for a reason your landlord required the deposit for in the first place.

Your landlord cannot make you pay toward your deposit, or keep it, for not staying a set number of months in a month-to-month rental. A month-to-month rental is a lease with no fixed end date.

If you paid rent early, Oregon law says your landlord must give back any part not used when your renting ends. Your landlord must give it back the same way, and by the same rules, as your deposit. Your landlord can only keep the amount reasonably necessary (only what is needed) for rent you still owe.

If no written damage list reaches you within 30 days of your move-out, the landlord loses the right to keep any of the deposit. They also lose the right to sue you for damage to the home.

Your landlord must send a written list of damage within 30 days. The 30 days start when your lease ends or you return the home and they accept it, whichever comes first. If no list arrives in time, your landlord loses the right to keep any of your deposit. Your landlord also loses the right to sue you for damage to the home. But the law still lets your landlord keep the deposit for unpaid rent or breaking another lease term.

If no written damage list reaches you within 30 days of your move-out, your landlord loses the right to keep any of your deposit. Your landlord also loses the right to sue you for damage to the home. This applies only if you gave your landlord your new address in writing.

A Rhode Island landlord may take these amounts out of your deposit: unpaid rent that is owed, reasonable cleaning costs, and reasonable trash removal costs. The landlord may take out the cost of physical damage to the home, other than ordinary wear and tear (normal use over time). That applies only to damage the landlord suffered because you did not meet a tenant duty in § 34-18-24. One duty is to keep the part of the home you use clean and safe.

In Rhode Island, a landlord may take physical damage out of your deposit only if you caused it by not meeting a tenant duty. One duty is to not deliberately or negligently (carelessly) destroy, deface (mark up), damage, impair (make worse), or remove any part of the home.

Your Rhode Island landlord must send you a written notice that lists each amount taken out of your deposit. The landlord must send the notice together with the rest of the deposit that is due to you.

If your landlord charges you for damage, they must send copies of estimates or paid bills to prove the cost.

Your landlord cannot take money from your deposit for normal wear from living in the home.

Your landlord cannot charge you for carpet cleaning, unless they have written proof the carpet is worn beyond normal use.

After your lease ends, your landlord must return your deposit to you. Your landlord can keep only the money this law allows, such as unpaid rent or damage you caused.

Your landlord can take unpaid rent out of your deposit. Your landlord can also take money for damage you caused by not meeting your duties as a tenant under this law.

One of your duties is to keep your part of the home reasonably safe and clean. Another duty is not to damage, destroy, mark up, harm, or remove any part of the home on purpose or through carelessness.

After your tenancy (your time renting) ends, your landlord may keep part of your security deposit for unpaid rent, among other reasons. The landlord may keep only the amounts reasonably necessary.

If your South Dakota landlord keeps all or part of your deposit, the written statement must show the specific reason for keeping it.

A South Dakota landlord may take out of your deposit only the amounts reasonably necessary for three things. They are unpaid rent, other money you owe under an agreement, and putting the home back to its condition when your rental began. The landlord may not charge for ordinary wear and tear (the normal wearing down from everyday living).

If you ask, your South Dakota landlord must give you an itemized accounting (a list showing each amount kept and why) of any deposit kept. The landlord has 45 days after your rental ends to give it.

Your landlord can only take money out of your deposit for damage or charges you owe under the lease. Normal wear and tear (the slow wearing out of the home from ordinary use, like faded paint or worn carpet) does not count. Damage from carelessness, accidents, or abuse by you or your guests is not normal wear and tear.

If your landlord keeps any part of the deposit, they must send you the rest. They must also send a written list naming each amount taken out and its cost. The landlord can skip the list only if you owe rent when you leave and you both agree on the amount.

When your tenancy (the time you rent the home) ends, your landlord or the landlord's agent may use your deposit for rent. The landlord may also use it for damage beyond reasonable wear and tear (the normal wearing down from everyday living). Other uses are other costs and fees listed in the contract, and cleaning of the unit.

If your landlord or the landlord's agent takes anything out of your deposit or prepaid rent, the landlord must send you a written notice. The notice must list each amount taken out and explain the reason for each one.

Your landlord may keep all or part of your security deposit for 4 reasons. First, unpaid rent. Second, damage to the landlord's property. Damage from normal wear and tear (normal use over time) does not count. Neither does damage from actions or events beyond your control. Third, unpaid utilities (such as water or electric) or other charges you had to pay directly to the landlord or to a utility. Fourth, the cost of removing things you abandoned (left behind).

Your landlord may not keep deposit money for damage that is normal wear and tear (wear from reasonable use). That wear has no negligence, carelessness, accident, or abuse by you, your household, or guests. Your landlord also may not keep money for damage caused by events beyond your control.

Your landlord can use your deposit to pay rent you owe, including a late fee if your lease allows it. Your landlord can also use your deposit for damage to the home beyond reasonable wear and tear (ordinary aging from everyday use). Your landlord can also use your deposit for other costs listed in your lease, or for money you owe from breaking your lease early.

Your landlord can hold back part of your deposit for an unpaid utility (water, sewer, or similar) bill. Your landlord can only do this after giving you written notice first. Once that bill is paid, your landlord must confirm it in writing within 10 days and send you any money still owed.

If your landlord takes money out of your deposit while you live in the home, your landlord must tell you in writing within 30 days. Your landlord does not have to notify you if this happens less than 30 days before your lease ends.

Your landlord cannot keep any part of your deposit for normal wear and tear. Normal wear and tear means wear from ordinary use of your home, not damage beyond that. Your landlord also cannot keep deposit money for carpet cleaning unless the landlord documents carpet wear beyond ordinary use.

A landlord's written notice about unpaid amounts may list unpaid rent. It may list damage beyond ordinary wear and tear (damage from normal use). It may list charges for removing items you left at move-out.

A landlord's notice of unpaid amounts must have photos or papers that back up the claim. It must say you can dispute them. It must say how to reach the landlord.

A landlord may not hold back a security deposit to pay for replacing apartment items damaged by ordinary wear and tear (damage from normal use).

In Washington, DC law, ordinary wear and tear means the wearing down that results from the intended use of a home. It includes things that break or stop working because of age or run-down condition.

A lease may promise to leave the home in good repair. You do not have to make big repairs, replace obsolete (out-of-date) materials, or fix other defects that are not your fault or negligence.

You have 30 calendar days to dispute the amounts in your landlord's notice. The days count from the date the notice is served. You may give your landlord evidence that an amount is inaccurate or incorrectly attributed to you.

After your rental ends, your landlord can use your deposit only for these things. Unpaid rent, including reasonable late charges in your rental agreement. Damage from your not following the rental agreement, less reasonable wear and tear (normal use over time). Unpaid utilities (water, electric, gas) that the landlord paid and you owed under the rental agreement. Reasonable costs to remove and store your belongings. Other charges in the rental agreement, for example paying a contractor to repair damage you caused.

Your landlord must keep a record of each amount taken from your deposit because you did not follow the rental agreement. The landlord must keep it for 1 year after your rental ends. You, or your authorized agent or attorney, can ask in writing to see it. Within 72 hours, the landlord must let you look at it during normal business hours, or give you a copy.

Your landlord can only take money out of your deposit for a few allowed reasons. One is damage, waste (harm from misusing the home), or neglect you caused. This does not include normal wear and tear (ordinary damage from everyday use, not something you did wrong). Another is rent you still owe. A third is unpaid utility (water, electric, gas) charges you owed under your rental agreement. Your landlord also cannot take money for other damage or loss that the law does not hold you responsible for.

Your landlord's lease can list other reasons to take money from your deposit, beyond the reasons Wisconsin law already allows. This is only allowed if you signed a separate paper listing them before you signed your lease. Wisconsin law calls this paper a special written list of extra rules you agreed to. Your landlord cannot use this list to charge for normal wear and tear (ordinary damage from everyday use, not something you did wrong). If you signed or initialed a reason on that paper, Wisconsin law presumes (assumes unless you can prove otherwise) you agreed to it.

If your landlord keeps any part of your deposit, they must send you a written statement within the same 21 days. It must list each item they are charging you for and how much they are charging for it.

Your landlord cannot lie about or make up a reason for keeping part of your deposit on purpose, including the cost of repairs. They cannot keep any part of your deposit based on a claim they made up on purpose.

After a rental agreement ends, a Wyoming landlord may use the deposit to pay unpaid rent. The landlord may also use it for damage beyond reasonable wear and tear (normal use over time). It may pay for cleaning the unit to its condition at the start of the rental agreement. It may pay other costs in a contract.

A Wyoming landlord who takes money out of a deposit must deliver or mail a written list of what was taken out. The list must give the reasons. The landlord sends it with the rest of the deposit.