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Security Deposit Return Deadline: When Should You Get Your Money Back?

Verified state deposit rules

Getting a deposit back is often slower and more disputed than paying it. The deadline for return, what counts as return, and what a landlord must send with it all vary by state. This guide explains the verified deadlines, the steps that start the clock, and what to do if the deadline passes without a refund or an itemized statement.

California: 21 calendar days

In California, under Civil Code 1950.5 (as amended by AB 12), a landlord generally must return the deposit — or the balance after lawful deductions, with an itemized statement — within 21 calendar days of the tenant vacating. Calendar days include weekends and holidays, so day 21 is not extended merely because it falls on a weekend unless the statute or a court rule says otherwise for your situation. If you vacate on 1 October, day 21 is 22 October. Mark the date on your calendar at move-out, not when you remember to check weeks later.

Texas: 30 days and the forwarding-address trigger

In Texas, the deposit must generally be returned within 30 days, under Property Code 92.103 and 92.107, and the tenant’s forwarding address plays a triggering role. In practical terms, give your forwarding address in writing, keep proof that you sent it and when, and count 30 days from the trigger the statute describes. A tenant who never gives a forwarding address may find the deadline and the landlord’s obligations operate differently, so this single step — a short written notice with your new address — is one of the most important things you can do at move-out. Do not rely on a verbal forwarding address or on the landlord already knowing where you moved.

Other states: check the official source

For states without a verified rule on this site, do not borrow California’s 21 days or Texas’s 30 days. Deadlines elsewhere range widely, and some states require an itemized statement by a different date than the refund itself, or impose a penalty for late return. The official source for your state — usually the state statute or the housing department’s tenant guide — is the only safe basis for a deadline. A city ordinance may also set its own deadline or procedure.

What should you receive?

You should normally receive either the full deposit or the balance plus an itemized statement explaining each deduction, with amounts. Vague entries such as “cleaning — $400” without detail are harder to challenge and harder to justify; ask for specifics, receipts, or invoices where appropriate. Compare each deduction with your move-in photographs and checklist. Normal wear and tear should not be charged, and pre-existing damage recorded at move-in should not be charged again at move-out.

If the deadline passes

• Check your dates: move-out date, forwarding-address date, and the deadline you calculated from the official source.
• Write to the landlord, citing the dates and asking for the refund or itemized statement.
• Keep copies of everything: lease, move-in and move-out photos, forwarding-address proof, and all correspondence.
• If the landlord does not respond, contact a local housing organization or seek qualified advice — some states provide for penalties or for a tenant to recover amounts, but the procedure is state-specific.
• Do not withhold rent from a future tenancy or take other self-help steps without advice; they can create a separate dispute.

Prevention is easier than recovery: photograph at move-in and move-out, give a forwarding address in writing, and leave the home in the condition the lease requires. Those three habits resolve most deposit disputes before they start.

What the deadline clock actually measures

Vacating itself needs a clear date in your file. The day you hand back keys, the day the lease ends, and the day you last sleep in the home can be different days, and that difference can shift a California deadline by several days. Write down the vacating date you are using, how it was confirmed — for example, keys returned in person with a receipt, or a written move-out confirmation — and keep that note with the lease. In Texas, add the forwarding-address date alongside it, because the trigger may not be the vacating date alone. When the two dates are recorded at the time, a later disagreement about the deadline is a short check of two pieces of paper, not a reconstruction from memory.

Counting the two verified deadlines

California's period is expressly described as calendar days, so weekends count inside the 21 days. That means a tenant who vacates on a Friday should not assume the following weekends are added on. Texas's 30 days are described in this guide without a weekend-extension rule, so do not assume an extension there either — check the official source if your deadline lands on a weekend or holiday, and aim to send or expect the refund before that day where possible. The practical habit is identical for both states: note the deadline on move-out day, set a reminder a few days before it, and check your bank account and post on the deadline day itself.

Worked examples with dollar figures

Example A, California: a tenant vacated on 1 October after paying a $2,000 deposit, which in this example equals one month's rent under the general California rule in the table above. The landlord deducts $320 for repainting beyond normal wear and $150 for a broken blind, a total of $470. The balance is $2,000 minus $470, which is $1,530, due with an itemized statement by 22 October. If the statement instead shows a single $470 line with no breakdown, the tenant can ask in writing for the $320 and $150 items to be separated and evidenced.

Example B, Texas: a tenant paid a $1,600 deposit, gave a forwarding address in writing on move-out day, and owes no rent. The landlord deducts $200 for cleaning and returns $1,400 with an itemized description within 30 days of the trigger. Example C, partial return in either state: a $900 deposit with a $900 deduction leaves a $0 balance, but the tenant should still receive the itemized statement showing how the $900 was reached. A $0 balance is not a reason to skip the paperwork, because the statement is the tenant's only check that each deduction was justified. In each example, compare the statement with move-in photographs before accepting it.

Edge cases: keys, post, and shared tenancies

Keys returned late can blur the vacating date, so return them as the lease directs and get proof — a receipt, a photograph of the keys handed over, or a dated email confirming return. A deposit refund sent by mail can also blur the picture: the date the landlord posts it and the date you receive it may differ, so ask the landlord to confirm the sending date and method in writing if the refund arrives close to the deadline. If the refund is sent by bank transfer, the transfer date on the bank record is the evidence to keep, not the date you first noticed the money.

Shared tenancies add a second layer. Where several tenants paid one deposit, the landlord generally deals with the tenancy as a whole, so one forwarding address and one statement may cover everyone, unless the lease says otherwise. Agree before move-out who will receive the refund and how it will be split, and put that agreement in writing between yourselves. A landlord who sends the full balance to the agreed address has done the sending part; dividing it fairly afterwards is a matter between the tenants. If one tenant leaves early while others stay, the deposit position is different again — check the lease and the official source rather than assuming the leaving tenant is owed a share at that point.

What this guide does not tell you

Fairness of a deduction is beyond a deadline guide: it turns on the lease, the property's condition at move-in and move-out, and the evidence for each item. It also cannot set the deposit amount for your tenancy: California's general rule and Texas's no-cap rule are in the table above, but every other state is a check-official-source case, and a city ordinance may add its own amount or procedure. The guide also does not fix what happens when a deadline is missed, beyond the general advice to write with dates, keep evidence, and seek local advice — penalties and procedures are state-specific. For the wider set of rent rules, see the Rent Rules Explained pillar guide.

Sources

Sources used for this guide: California Civil Code 1950.5 as amended by AB 12 for the 21-day rule and general deposit amount, Texas Property Code 92.103 and 92.107 for the 30-day rule and forwarding-address trigger, and — for all other states and for any city rule — check the official source for your city and state.

Frequently asked questions

Does the deadline include weekends?

In California the period is 21 calendar days, which includes weekends. Other states may count differently — check the official source.

What if I did not give a forwarding address?

In Texas the forwarding address triggers key obligations. Give it in writing as soon as you move, and keep proof.

What if only part of the deposit is returned?

You should receive an itemized statement for the withheld part. Challenge any item that does not match your move-in evidence.

Does the California deadline start when I hand back the keys?

California's deadline runs from vacating, generally 21 calendar days after vacating. Record the vacating date and how it was confirmed, because keys, lease end, and last night in the home can fall on different days.

What if my landlord says the refund is in the mail?

Ask in writing for the sending date, the method, and the address used, and compare them with your forwarding-address proof and bank record. The sending date, not a vague assurance, is what you need to check against the deadline.

Can a landlord keep the whole deposit without a statement?

No — even a $0 balance should come with an itemized statement showing how the total was reached. Ask for each deduction to be listed separately, with amounts, and compare it with your move-in evidence.

What if my state is not California or Texas?

Do not borrow 21 days or 30 days. Check the official source for your state and city, and read your lease, because deadlines and statement requirements vary and a city ordinance may set its own rule.

Should I accept a partial refund if I dispute one deduction?

Keep the statement and the payment record, and dispute the specific item in writing with your evidence. Accepting part of the money does not, by itself, remove the need for an itemized explanation of the rest — check the official source if you are unsure.

What evidence matters most in a deposit dispute?

The lease, dated move-in and move-out photographs, a move-in checklist, forwarding-address proof, the itemized statement, and all correspondence. Those six items let either side check dates, amounts, and condition without relying on memory.

Same warning as above: this is general information, not legal advice — check the official source for your city and state.

Last updated: 2026-10-25. Last verified for state rules: 2026-10-25.