General Guidelines for Security Deposits
Although each state will have specific law with regard to Security Deposits, in general, most states provide for the following with regard to lease security deposits:
- The deposit should be no greater than one month’s rent and should be fully refundable
- The deposit should be used for the repair of damages and/or cleaning of the property (beyond normal wear and tear) only, and not applied for the nonpayment of rent (an additional month’s rent may be requested to cover potential nonpayment of rent situations)
- The deposit should be kept in a separate, interest-bearing account and returned, with interest, to the tenant within 10 days of termination of a lease (minus, of course, any deductions for damages or cleaning)
Note that each state has its own requirements and they may vary substantially from the above general listing. **