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Security deposit · Vermont

14 days after you vacate (with notice of the date).

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 answer9 V.S.A. §4461(c)
Deadline14 calendar days
Before it appliesTell the landlord the date you're leaving
If kept in bad faithMissing 14 days forfeits the right to withhold anything

The rule

In Vermont, the clock starts when: you vacate (with notice of the date). The landlord then has 14 calendar days. The statute says:

“A landlord shall return the security deposit along with a written statement itemizing any deductions to a tenant within 14 days from the date on which the landlord discovers that the tenant vacated or abandoned the dwelling unit or the date the tenant vacated the dwelling unit, provided the landlord received notice from the tenant of that date.”

The 14 days run from your move-out date if you told the landlord that date; seasonal units not used as a primary residence get 60 days.

For example, if you returned the keys on Oct 25, 2026, the date would be Nov 8, 2026. Use the Clock for your own dates.

What the landlord has to send

A written statement itemizing any deductions.

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

Vermont'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

Missing 14 days forfeits the right to withhold anything; a willful failure means double the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees and costs.

“If the failure is willful, the landlord shall be liable for double the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.”
9 V.S.A. §4461(e)

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. 9 V.S.A. §4461(c) · checked 2026-10-05

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