Security Deposit Not Returned in Louisiana: What Can I Do?
Louisiana law explains what happens to your security deposit when you move out. It covers the deadline to return your deposit, what your landlord can keep, and what you can do if your landlord does not pay. Louisiana calls your landlord the lessor and calls you the lessee, but this page uses landlord and you.
-
A security deposit is money you pay your landlord to guarantee that you will follow your lease.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
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 September 29, 2026
-
If you rent a home or apartment and paid a security deposit, your landlord must return it within 1 month after your lease ends. This rule applies whether your lease was written down or only agreed to out loud (an oral lease). Louisiana counts the 1-month deadline from the day your lease ends.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
The 1-month deadline to return your deposit does not apply in every case. If you move out without giving the notice your lease requires, the deadline does not apply. It also does not apply if you move out before your lease term is over.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
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.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
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.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
If your landlord sells the rental property while you live there, the job of returning your deposit passes to the new owner. The new owner must return your deposit under the same rules as your old landlord. Your old landlord is no longer responsible once the deposit money is handed over to the new owner.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
Your landlord must return your deposit or send the written list within 1 month after your lease ends. If your landlord misses that deadline, send a written demand asking for your deposit back. If your landlord still does not pay you within 30 days after that demand, that counts as breaking this law.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
If your landlord does not pay you within 30 days after your written demand, that counts as breaking this law. You can then get back the part of your deposit kept without a legal right to it. You can get $300 more, or twice that amount, whichever is more. You can get this money from your old landlord, or from the new owner if the property was sold. For example, if your landlord keeps $500 without a legal right, you could get $500 back plus $1,000 (twice $500), for $1,500 total. You get this money only if you win your case in court and your landlord pays.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
You can sue for your deposit in the parish (Louisiana's word for county) where your landlord lives. You can also sue in the parish where the rental property is located. You get this money only if you win your case in court and your landlord pays.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
If you sue and win, the court may order your landlord to pay your court costs and your lawyer's fees. The court does not have to order this. It is the judge's choice in each case. You get this money only if you win your case in court and your landlord pays.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
Your lease cannot take away these deposit rights. If your lease says you give up your right to sue about your deposit, a court will not enforce that part of the lease. This protection applies no matter what your lease says about deposits.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us.