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Security deposits

How to get your full security deposit back: 6 steps

By housr editorsUpdated 2026-10-05Legal review pending
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Most deposits aren’t lost in court. They’re lost earlier: a forwarding address that was never sent, an inspection that was never requested, a deadline the tenant didn’t know they had. This playbook puts the steps in the order they happen, with the statutes that make each one matter.

  1. Step 1Give notice in writing
  2. Step 2Ask for the pre-move-out inspection
  3. Step 3Photograph every room
  4. Step 4Send your forwarding address
  5. Step 5Track the deadline
  6. Step 6Answer in writing

011. Give notice in writing, on time

Your lease usually sets the notice period. Where it doesn’t, some states set a default for month-to-month tenancies: California requires “at least 30 days’ written notice,” Florida “not less than 30 days’ notice prior to the end of any monthly period,” and Arizona written notice “at least thirty days prior to the periodic rental date.” Give it in writing and keep a copy. The Move-Out Plan works out the last day.

022. Ask for the pre-move-out inspection

Some states let you see the landlord’s list before you leave, so you can fix things instead of paying for them. In California the landlord must tell you about the initial inspection, which happens “no earlier than two weeks before the termination or the end of lease date.” In New York the inspection is made “no earlier than two weeks and no later than one week before the end of the tenancy.” Maryland gives you the right to be present at the inspection if you send a certified-mail notice of your move at least 15 days ahead.

033. Photograph every room, after you clean

Photos taken the day you hand back the keys are the best evidence of the condition you left. Shoot every wall, the floors, inside appliances and cabinets, and anything that was already damaged at move-in. Since April 1, 2025, California landlords who deduct for repairs or cleaning also have to take photos after you return possession and send them with the itemized statement.

044. Send your forwarding address in writing

In some states this is what starts the clock. Texas says the landlord “is not obligated to return a tenant’s security deposit or give the tenant a written description of damages and charges until the tenant gives the landlord a written statement of the tenant’s forwarding address.” Michigan gives you 4 days after you leave to provide an address in writing. Even where it isn’t required, it’s where the refund and any itemized list will be sent.

055. Track your landlord’s deadline, and yours

Deadlines differ in what starts them and how they count. New York: within fourteen days after you vacate. California: 21 calendar days. Arizona: fourteen days “excluding Saturdays, Sundays or other legal holidays,” after you hand back possession and demand the deposit. Some deadlines fall on you: in Florida you have 15 days from receiving a notice of claim to object in writing, and in Arizona you have sixty days after the itemized list is mailed to dispute it.

Every step above, dated for your state, with the statute on each date and a calendar file.

Get your dated Move-Out Plan

066. Answer in writing

If nothing arrives by the deadline, or the itemized list includes charges you dispute, send a short letter that states the date the deposit was due, quotes the statute, and lists each disputed charge with a prorated estimate where the item was old. Keep it factual. Keep proof of sending. If that doesn’t resolve it, small claims court is designed for amounts like these; our guide explains how it works.

Your own deadlines

Florida (15 days to object to a notice of claim), Michigan (7 days to answer a notice of damages), Arizona (60 days to dispute the itemized list) and Delaware (10 days to object after receiving payment with an itemized list) all put a clock on the tenant. Check your state page.

Sources

  1. Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5 (California Legislative Information). leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=1950.5.&lawCode=CIV
  2. N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law §7-108 (New York State Senate). www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/GOB/7-108
  3. Tex. Prop. Code ch. 92, subch. C (Texas Legislature). tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/PR/htm/PR.92.htm
  4. A.R.S. §33-1321 (Arizona Legislature). www.azleg.gov/ars/33/01321.htm
  5. Fla. Stat. §83.49 (Florida Legislature). www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0083/Sections/0083.49.html
  6. MCL 554.609 (Michigan Legislature). www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-554-609