Deductions Required

If your landlord is making deductions from the security deposit he must, within 10 days from you giving up possession of the premises, either:

• return the balance of the deposit to you with a statement that lists the damages, repair costs, and cleaning charges, or
• give you an estimate of deductions that will be made and return money that will not be used. Within 30 days of your giving up possession, you must be given a final statement and the balance of any money that is owed to you.

If a landlord does not return all or part of a security deposit, you can take legal action against the landlord for the amount outstanding. You can take legal action even when your landlord has given you a statement of account, but you disagree with the accounting.

May 2005