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Security deposit · Minnesota

21 days, counted from when your landlord has your address.

By housr editorsStatute text checked 2026-10-05Legal review pending
A named legal reviewer hasn't signed this page yet. We read and quoted the statute ourselves on 2026-10-05. Until review, this page isn't indexed by search engines. This is information, not legal advice. See legal review.
The short answerMinn. Stat. §504B.178, subd. 3
Deadline21 calendar days
Before it appliesYour mailing address or delivery instructions
If kept in bad faithA penalty equal to the amount withheld plus interest, on top of the amount itself

The rule

In Minnesota, the clock starts when: tenancy ends + your mailing address. The landlord then has 21 calendar days, but the duty to refund depends on your address. The statute says:

“…within three weeks after termination of the tenancy… and after receipt of the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions, return the deposit to the tenant…”

Three weeks counts from the later of the end of the tenancy and the day the landlord receives your mailing address.

For example, if you returned the keys on Oct 25, 2026 and gave your address the same day, the date would be Nov 15, 2026. Use the Clock for your own dates.

What the landlord has to send

A written statement showing the specific reason for withholding any of it.

Interest

1% simple interest a year.

Do this

On move-out day

Send your forwarding address in writing: in Minnesota it decides when the refund is owed. Photograph every room before you return the keys.

Deductions and wear and tear

Minnesota's statute limits what can be kept to the purposes it lists. We haven't summarised its wear-and-tear language yet; read the section linked above.

For a charge to replace something old, Fair Charge works out a prorated estimate from the item's age and useful life, and says where the useful life comes from. See also the item guides for carpet, paint and cleaning.

If the deadline passes

A penalty equal to the amount withheld plus interest, on top of the amount itself; bad faith adds punitive damages of up to $500.

“The bad faith retention by a landlord of a deposit, the interest thereon, or any portion thereof, in violation of this section shall subject the landlord to punitive damages not to exceed $500 for each deposit in addition to the damages provided in subdivision 4.”
Minn. Stat. §504B.178, subd. 7

The usual first step is a written demand that states the date the deposit was due and cites the statute. Our demand letter does that and carries any disputed deductions.

Your next steps

Sources

  1. Minn. Stat. §504B.178, subd. 3 · checked 2026-10-05

Information, not legal advice. Statutes are quoted from official legislature sites; summaries are ours. Spotted an error? Tell us.