Security Deposit Not Returned in Washington, DC: What Can I Do?
This page covers what a landlord in Washington, DC sends after a rental ends. Topics are the written notice about unpaid amounts, what a landlord may not take from a deposit, and how to dispute a charge. It also names where to bring a complaint about a deposit.
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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 3, 2026
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DC deposit rules cover each rental unit, except a few kinds such as nursing homes. Within 45 days after your rental ends, your landlord must notify you in writing of any alleged (claimed) unpaid amounts. The landlord can deliver the notice in person, by email, or by certified mail to your forwarding address. The notice must include photos or other papers that support the claim. It must say you can dispute the amounts.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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In DC, your landlord has 45 days after you move out to act on your deposit. The landlord must return it with interest, or tell you in writing that it will pay for legitimate (proper) costs. Those costs must be listed within 30 more days.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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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.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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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.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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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).
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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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.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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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.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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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.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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When you give your landlord information disputing an alleged unpaid amount, the landlord must give you a written response within 10 days after receiving it. The response may be by mail, email, or in person.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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A landlord must keep proof that you were served with the notice about unpaid amounts. The landlord must keep it at least 60 days before sending the amount to a debt collector.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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The Office of Administrative Hearings may decide complaints when a landlord does not return a deposit. It may also decide complaints when a landlord does not pay interest on a deposit.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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Take photos of your home when you move out. Keep a written record of the forwarding address you gave your landlord and the date you gave it.
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