New address for the deposit
Where do you rent?
The rule depends on your state and city. Pick your state to see the rule where you live.
Every place we cover
Alaska
Your landlord mails the list and refund to your last known address. Give your landlord your new mailing address in writing when you move out.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
Austin
Give your landlord your new mailing address in writing when you move out. The landlord can wait to pay you until you do. You do not lose your deposit if you forget. You can still send the address later and ask for your money. Your landlord may take money out of the deposit for damage you caused. The landlord may also take out charges the lease says you owe.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
Chicago
Take this step when you move out: give the landlord your new mailing address or email in writing. Keep a copy. State law cancels the landlord's penalties if you never gave an address.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
Connecticut
As soon as you move out, send your landlord your new address in writing. Your landlord must send your deposit, and any money you are still owed, to that address. Giving your address late can push back your deadline.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
Delaware
Give your landlord a forwarding address in writing at or before the end of the rental agreement, and keep a copy. Your landlord sends the deposit to the address in your rental agreement or to that forwarding address.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
Delaware
If you give no forwarding address, your landlord does not have to give you notice. The landlord still owes you any unused part of the deposit. You must make a claim in writing within 1 year after the rental agreement ends or expires.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
Florida
Unless your written lease says otherwise, tell your landlord in writing where they can reach you after you move out. Send this by certified mail or hand it to them, at least 7 days before you leave. This applies if you leave before the lease ends or rent with no fixed end date, such as month to month. If you skip this, your landlord does not have to send you the deduction notice. You still keep your right to your deposit. Texts and emails you save are a record too.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
Illinois
Give your landlord your new mailing address or an email address in writing before you leave. If you do not, the law does not make your landlord pay any penalty for a late statement or a late refund.
✓ Sources checked September 22, 2026
Indiana
The Indiana courts' Small Claims Manual says a tenant should always give the landlord a forwarding address (where to send mail after you move). Give it in writing and keep a copy.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
Iowa
Give your landlord your new address in writing right after you move out. Your landlord's 30-day deadline to send back your deposit does not start until they have your new address. If you wait to send it, you delay getting your money back.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
Louisiana
Give your landlord a forwarding address when your lease ends. Your landlord uses this address to mail you the written list explaining what was kept and why.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
Montana
Say you never gave your landlord a new address in writing. You can still get back the amount your landlord owes you. The address was due when your rental ended, or when you gave back the home and your landlord accepted it.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
Nebraska
Give your landlord a mailing address in writing before you move out, and keep a copy. Your landlord can then send your deposit and the written list to the right place.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
New Hampshire
Your landlord is not liable if the landlord misses a New Hampshire deposit rule because you did not give your new address. The landlord also does not lose any rights. The address is due when your tenancy (your time renting the home) ends. Give your new address in writing and keep a copy.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
Ohio
When you move out, give your landlord your forwarding address in writing. This is the address where your landlord must send your deposit, or their written notice explaining any money they took out of your deposit.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
Ohio
If you don't give your landlord a forwarding address in writing, Ohio law says you lose a right. You cannot collect extra money or attorney's fees, even if your landlord should not have kept your deposit.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
Pennsylvania
Do 2 things when you move out. First, give the landlord your new address in writing and keep a copy. Then return the keys. If you never give the new address in writing, Pennsylvania's deposit penalties stop protecting you.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
Philadelphia
When you move out, give your landlord your new address in writing. Return your keys too. If you do not give your new address in writing, the law frees your landlord from any liability under its deposit-return section.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
Pittsburgh
Do 2 things when you move out. First, give your landlord your new address in writing and keep a copy. Then return the keys. Send the address by certified mail with a return receipt, so you can prove your landlord got it.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
Rhode Island
Give your landlord your forwarding address in writing, and keep a copy. Rhode Island's 20-day deposit deadline can start from the day you give it.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
South Carolina
After you move out, give your landlord your new address in writing. Your landlord needs this address to send you the written notice about your deposit and any money owed.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
South Dakota
Give your landlord your mailing address or delivery instructions in writing when you move out. Keep a copy. In South Dakota, the landlord's 21 days to return your deposit start once the landlord has them.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
Texas
When you move out, give your landlord your new mailing address in writing. Your landlord does not have to send the deposit or the list of what was taken out until you do this. You do not lose the deposit if you forget. But the 30 day clock does not start until the landlord has the address. The address can be a friend's or relative's home.
✓ Sources checked September 14, 2026
Washington, DC
DC deposit rules cover each rental unit in the District, except a few kinds such as hospitals and nursing homes. When your rental ends, your landlord must ask you for a forwarding mailing address or email address. Your landlord uses it to send the notices that DC law requires about your deposit.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
Wisconsin
Give your landlord an address where you can get mail after you move out. Then your deposit and any written statement about money taken from it can reach you. If your landlord otherwise follows Wisconsin's deposit rules, they are not breaking those rules just because the mail could not reach you. This applies only if you left no working address. You keep any other right you have to get your deposit back.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
Wyoming
Under Wyoming law, you must tell your landlord, within 30 days after the rental agreement ends, where to send your deposit payment and notice. Send your new mailing address in writing and keep a copy.
✓ Sources checked October 4, 2026
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