No landlord pays us. We never send your details to a landlord, never ask for your SSN or bank login, and cite the statute behind every rule. How we make money
Sign inPlan my move-out
Security deposit · Montana

10 days if nothing is deducted, 30 with an itemized list.

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 answerMont. Code Ann. §70-25-202
Deadline30 calendar days
Before it applies10 days if nothing is owed; 30 with deductions
If kept in bad faithThe amount wrongfully withheld

The rule

In Montana, the clock starts when: tenancy ends or you surrender, whichever is first. The landlord then has 30 calendar days. The statute says:

“Each landlord, within 30 days subsequent to the termination of a tenancy or within 30 days subsequent to a surrender and acceptance of the leasehold premises, whichever occurs first, shall provide the departing tenant with a written list of any rent due and any damage and cleaning charges…”

With no damage, no cleaning, no unpaid rent, and proof that utilities are paid, the deposit is due within 10 days.

For example, if you returned the keys on Oct 25, 2026, the date would be Nov 24, 2026. Use the Clock for your own dates.

What the landlord has to send

A written list of rent due and damage and cleaning charges, delivered with any difference.

Do this

On move-out day

Give your forwarding address in writing and keep proof of sending. Photograph every room before you return the keys.

Deductions and wear and tear

Montana'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

The amount wrongfully withheld; attorney fees at the court's discretion.

“A person who wrongfully withholds a residential property security deposit or any portion of the deposit is liable in damages to the tenant in a civil action for an amount equal to the sum determined to have been wrongfully withheld or deducted.”
Mont. Code Ann. §70-25-204(1)

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. Mont. Code Ann. §70-25-202 · checked 2026-10-05

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