A compiled reference of 34 verified statistics on residential security deposits: what renters pay and how often they get it back, deposit disputes and documentation, the deposit-alternative market, and a 51-jurisdiction table of state deposit laws covering caps, return deadlines, wrongful-withholding penalties, and interest requirements. Every figure is drawn from a named public source, including national renter surveys from Zillow, Rent.com, and Roost, company disclosures from Rhino and LeaseLock, and the statute text itself for the law table, and independently checked before publishing. This page covers long-term residential rentals; short-term rental deposits are covered in a separate reference.
Key statistics
6 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Nearly nine in ten renters hand over a deposit, but fewer than half see all of it again, and the paperwork that decides the outcome is thin on both sides: most renters never photograph the unit, and most landlords never publish a deduction price list. State law fills the vacuum unevenly, from no cap and no deadline in Tennessee to a one-month cap, 14-day deadline, and double damages in New York.
87% of recent renters paid a security deposit, typically $500 to $999.
Only 42% of renters got their entire deposit back at their last move; 10% got nothing.
26% of renters have lost a deposit; 36% of those got no explanation.
21 states set no cap on deposit size; return deadlines run 14 to 60 days.
Only 5.6% of renters have ever been paid deposit interest; 17 states require it.
Rhino reported $1 billion in deposits replaced by insurance from 2017 to 2022.
How we built this report
Every figure on this page was compiled in August 2026 from named public sources and checked against the original before publishing.
- Compiled from primary sources
National renter surveys (Zillow's 21,000-renter Consumer Housing Trends research, Rent.com, Roost), company disclosures and press releases (Rhino, LeaseLock), housing-policy reporting (Shelterforce), and the text of state security deposit statutes.
- Statute-level verification
The 51-jurisdiction law table was compiled from published 50-state legal compilations, then spot-checked against the actual statute text on official legislature and code sites for 17 jurisdictions, including California, New York, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, and Maryland.
- Only explicitly stated figures
We include only numbers a named source states directly, attributed inline at the point each appears. Figures we could not confirm at the source were cut, including two widely repeated Zillow medians we could not reach in the original report.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
Scope caveat: survey figures are self-reported by renters and landlords, and statute summaries are simplified; most states carry exemptions (owner-occupied buildings, small portfolios, furnished units) that change the numbers shown. Statutes also change: three states re-capped deposits in 2024 alone. This page is a research reference, not legal advice; confirm the current statute text before acting on it.
The security deposit landscape, by the numbers
All 34 figures, grouped into four themes, each from a named public source and independently verified. The state law table in theme two is the core of the reference.
What renters pay, and what they get back
Deposits are near-universal but the refund is a coin flip. According to Zillow's Rentals Consumer Housing Trends Report 2024 (fielded 2023; zillow.com), a survey program covering more than 21,000 renters, 87% of recent renters paid a security deposit, typically between $500 and $999, and among those who moved out of a previous rental only 42% got the entire deposit back. According to a Rent.com survey of 1,000 U.S. renters (rent.com), reported across Rent Group's guides, 26% of renters have lost a deposit outright, and 36% of those never got an explanation. Roost's renter research (joinroost.com), built on its own deposit surveys, estimates $45 billion of renter savings sits in security deposits at any given time.
Statistic 1
87% of recent renters paid a security deposit, typically between $500 and $999.
Zillow Rentals Consumer Housing Trends Report 2024 (fielded 2023)
Statistic 2
Only 42% of renters who moved from a previous rental got their entire deposit back; 20% got most, 20% got some, and 10% got none of it.
Zillow Rentals Consumer Housing Trends Report 2024 (fielded 2023)
Statistic 3
52% of recent renters who moved from a previous rental disagreed with their landlord or property manager about something, most often repair responsibilities, utility balances, and move-out costs.
Zillow Rentals Consumer Housing Trends Report 2024 (fielded 2023)
Statistic 4
26% of renters have lost their security deposit at some point.
Rent.com renter survey, 1,000 respondents
Statistic 5
36% of renters who lost a deposit received no explanation from their landlord.
Rent.com renter survey, 1,000 respondents
Statistic 6
87% of renters pay a security deposit that averages about $600.
Roost renter research (2020)
Statistic 7
An estimated $45 billion of renters' savings is held in security deposits nationwide.
Roost renter research (2020)
Statistic 8
93% of renters of color paid a security deposit versus 85% of white renters, with median deposits of $750 versus $600.
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report (2021)
Statistic 9
59% of renters do not expect to get their full deposit refund back.
Roost security deposit survey (2023)
Statistic 10
40% of renters challenge move-out damage charges, and 51% say refund terms were not well communicated.
Roost security deposit survey (2023)
Statistic 11
Only 35% of renters receive their deposit back within a week of moving out, and 25% have left a negative review over deposit communication or transparency.
Roost security deposit survey (2023)
What this means: the deposit is the single most disputed transaction in the rental lifecycle. More than half of move-outs involve a disagreement, and the refund gap between "paid a deposit" (87%) and "got it all back" (42%) is where reviews, chargebacks, and small-claims filings come from. For operators, the fix is procedural, not legal: documented condition at move-in and move-out settles most of these arguments before they start.
Security deposit laws in all 50 states
The rules behind those outcomes vary more than almost any other landlord-tenant law. We compiled the deposit cap, return deadline, wrongful-withholding penalty, and interest requirement for all 50 states plus Washington D.C., starting from iPropertyManagement's 50-state legal compilations (ipropertymanagement.com) and then spot-checking 17 jurisdictions against the statute text on official legislature sites. The extremes are real: under New York General Obligations Law section 7-108 (nysenate.gov), deposits are capped at one month and must come back, itemized, in 14 days; Tennessee sets no cap and no return deadline at all. California's cap dropped to one month's rent in July 2024 under Civil Code section 1950.5 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov), and Maryland's followed in October 2024 under Real Property section 8-203 (mgaleg.maryland.gov).
Statistic 12
21 states set no general statutory cap on how large a security deposit can be.
RapidEye Research analysis of state statutes (2026)
Statistic 13
At least eleven jurisdictions cap standard deposits at roughly one month's rent, including California (July 2024) and Maryland (October 2024).
RapidEye Research analysis of state statutes (2026)
Statistic 14
Return deadlines range from 14 days (New York, Hawaii, Vermont, and others) to 60 days (Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia); 30 days is the most common. Tennessee is the only state with no statutory deadline.
RapidEye Research analysis of state statutes (2026)
Statistic 15
Roughly 35 states let tenants recover at least double the wrongfully withheld amount; about ten allow triple, including Texas, which adds $100 plus attorney's fees under Property Code section 92.109.
RapidEye Research analysis of state statutes (2026)
Statistic 16
17 states require landlords to pay interest on deposits in at least some circumstances, from Minnesota's flat 1% to Massachusetts' 5%.
iPropertyManagement 50-state compilation (2026)
Statistic 17
Only 5.6% of renters report ever having been paid interest on a security deposit.
Roost security deposit survey (2023)
Statistic 18
63% of renters say they would be much more likely to renew their lease if they received deposit interest.
Roost security deposit survey (2023)
| State | Deposit cap | Return deadline | Penalty for wrongful withholding | Interest owed | Key statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 month+ pet / risk deposits | 60 days | 2xDouble the deposit | - | Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 |
| Alaska | 2 monthsno limit if rent > $2,000/mo | 14 days30 days with deductions | 2xDouble the amount due | - | Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070 |
| Arizona | 1.5 months | 14 business days | 2xTwice the amount withheld, plus the amount due | Mobile home parks only | A.R.S. § 33-1321 |
| Arkansas | 2 monthsexempt: self-managed, < 6 units | 60 days | 2xDouble the amount due + costs | - | Ark. Code § 18-16-305 |
| California | 1 month2 months for small landlords | 21 days | 2xBad faith: up to twice the deposit + actual damages | - | Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 |
| Colorado | 2 months1 month mobile homes | 1 monthup to 60 days by lease | 3xTreble the amount due + fees | - | C.R.S. § 38-12-103 |
| Connecticut | 2 months1 month if tenant is 62+ | 21 daysor 15 days after address given | 2xDouble the deposit | Yes | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21 |
| Delaware | 1 monthleases of 1 year+; furnished exempt | 20 days | 2xDouble the amount due | - | 25 Del. C. § 5514 |
| Florida | No cap | 15 days30-day notice if claiming | 1xAmount due + costs and fees; claim forfeited without notice | Only if held in interest-bearing account | Fla. Stat. § 83.49 |
| Georgia | 2 months | 30 days | 3xBad faith: treble the amount due + fees | - | Ga. Code § 44-7-34 |
| Hawaii | 1 month+ pet deposit | 14 days | 3xBad faith: deposit + treble damages + costs | - | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44 |
| Idaho | No cap | 21 daysup to 30 by agreement | 3xTreble the deposit or fees, not both | - | Idaho Code § 6-321 |
| Illinois | No cap1 month mobile homes | 30 days itemized45 days refund | 2xBad faith: double the deposit + fees (5+ units) | 25+ units, held 6+ months | 765 ILCS 710/1 |
| Indiana | No cap | 45 days | 1xDeposit + costs and fees | - | Ind. Code § 32-31-3-12 |
| Iowa | 2 months | 30 days | 2xBad faith: up to 2 months' rent + actual damages | Interest-bearing accounts, after 5 years | Iowa Code § 562A.12 |
| Kansas | 1 month1.5 furnished; +0.5 pets | 14-30 days | 1.5xOne and a half times the amount due | - | Kan. Stat. § 58-2550 |
| Kentucky | No cap | 30-60 daysafter tenant demand | 1xAmount due; retention barred without damage listings | - | KRS § 383.580 |
| Louisiana | No cap | 1 month | 2xAmount due + greater of $300 or double damages | - | La. R.S. 9:3251 |
| Maine | 2 months | 30 days21 days at-will tenancies | 2xDouble the amount due + fees | Mobile homes only | 14 M.R.S. § 6033 |
| Maryland | 1 monthsince Oct 2024 | 45 days | 3xUp to threefold the withheld amount + fees | Yes, at least 1.5% | Md. Real Prop. § 8-203 |
| Massachusetts | 1 month | 30 days | 3xTreble damages + 5% interest + costs and fees | Yes, 5% (held 1 year+) | M.G.L. c.186 § 15B |
| Michigan | 1.5 months | 30 days | 2xDouble the amount due | - | MCL § 554.602 |
| Minnesota | No cap | 3 weeks | 2xBad faith: double the amount due + up to $500 punitive | Yes, 1% simple | Minn. Stat. § 504B.178 |
| Mississippi | No cap | 45 days | 1x$200 + actual damages | - | Miss. Code § 89-8-21 |
| Missouri | 2 months | 30 days | 2xDouble the amount due | - | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300 |
| Montana | No cap | 10 days30 days with deductions | 2xDouble the amount due + fees | - | Mont. Code § 70-25-202 |
| Nebraska | 1 month+ pet deposit | 14 days | 2xBad faith: amount due + up to 1 month's rent or 2x deposit | - | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416 |
| Nevada | 3 months | 30 days | 2xDouble the deposit | - | NRS § 118A.242 |
| New Hampshire | 1 monthor $100 if greater | 30 days | 2xDouble the amount due | Yes (held 1 year+) | RSA § 540-A:7 |
| New Jersey | 1.5 months | 30 days | 2xDouble the amount due + costs and fees | Yes | N.J.S.A. § 46:8-21.1 |
| New Mexico | 1 monthno cap on leases of 1 year+ | 30 days | 1xDeposit + $250 + costs | On the excess over 1 month's rent | N.M. Stat. § 47-8-18 |
| New York | 1 month | 14 days | 2xWillful: punitive damages up to twice the deposit | Buildings of 6+ units | N.Y. G.O.L. § 7-108 |
| North Carolina | 2 months1.5 month-to-month; 2 weeks weekly | 30 days60-day final if costs unknown | 1xForfeits right to retain + fees | - | N.C.G.S. § 42-51 |
| North Dakota | 1 month2 months pets or prior judgments | 30 days | 3xTreble the amount due + costs | Yes, accrued | N.D.C.C. § 47-16-07.1 |
| Ohio | No cap | 30 days | 2xDouble the amount wrongfully withheld + fees | 5% on excess over 1 month, held 6+ months | O.R.C. § 5321.16 |
| Oklahoma | No cap | 45 days | 1xAmount due + costs and fees | - | 41 O.S. § 115 |
| Oregon | No cap | 31 days | 2xDouble the amount due + costs and fees | - | ORS § 90.300 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 months1 month after first year | 30 days | 2xDouble the amount due | After 2 years, minus 1% fee | 68 P.S. § 250.511a-.512 |
| Rhode Island | 1 month+1 month if richly furnished | 20 days | 2xDouble the deposit + fees | - | R.I.G.L. § 34-18-19 |
| South Carolina | No cap | 30 days | 3xTreble the amount due + fees | - | S.C. Code § 27-40-410 |
| South Dakota | 1 month+ pet deposit | 14 days45-day itemization on request | 1xDeposit + $200 punitive + costs | - | SDCL § 43-32-24 |
| Tennessee | No cap | No statutory deadline | -No statutory penalty | - | Tenn. Code § 66-28-301 |
| Texas | No cap | 30 days | 3xBad faith: $100 + treble the withheld amount + fees | - | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103-.109 |
| Utah | No cap | 30 days | 1xDeposit + $100 penalty | - | Utah Code § 57-17-3 |
| Vermont | No cap | 14 days | 2xBad faith: double the deposit + costs and fees | - | 9 V.S.A. § 4461 |
| Virginia | 2 months | 45 days | 1xAmount due + actual damages + fees | - | Va. Code § 55.1-1226 |
| Washington | No cap | 30 days | 2xIntentional: up to double the deposit + costs and fees | - | RCW § 59.18.280 |
| Washington D.C. | 1 month | 45 daysup to 75 with deductions | 3xBad faith: treble the deposit + interest | Yes (held 1 year+) | 14 DCMR § 309-311 |
| West Virginia | No cap | 60 daysor 45 after next tenant moves in | 2.5xTwo and a half times the amount due + costs | - | W. Va. Code § 37-6A-2 |
| Wisconsin | No cap | 21 days | 2xDouble the amount due + costs and fees | - | Wis. ATCP § 134.06 |
| Wyoming | No cap | 15-30 days+30 for damage deductions | 1xDeposit + costs | - | Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1208 |
Simplified for comparison: caps are the standard residential rule (common pet, furnished, and mobile-home variants noted inline); deadlines are the general case; penalties are the statutory maximum, and many apply only to bad-faith or willful withholding. Nearly every state with a deadline also requires a written itemized statement of deductions within it. Most states carry exemptions for owner-occupied or very small portfolios. Compiled from iPropertyManagement's 50-state statute compilations and the statute texts cited in each row; verify the current text before relying on it.
What this means: a landlord operating in three states can face three different caps, three deadlines, and penalty exposure ranging from a refund to treble damages plus fees. The trendline is tightening: New York capped deposits at one month in 2019, and California and Maryland both dropped to one month in 2024. Wherever there is a deadline, the obligation that actually trips operators is the itemized statement, which is impossible to produce credibly without condition documentation.
Documentation: the evidence gap behind every dispute
Several states make documentation a legal precondition of holding a deposit at all. Under Washington's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, RCW section 59.18.260 (leg.wa.gov), no deposit may be collected unless a written condition checklist, signed and dated by both landlord and tenant, is provided at move-in. Kentucky goes further: under KRS section 383.580 (legislature.ky.gov), a signed comprehensive listing of existing damage must precede the deposit, and a landlord who skips the move-in or move-out listings loses the right to retain any of it. Yet the survey data shows both sides skip the paperwork anyway.
Statistic 19
Washington landlords cannot collect any deposit without a written condition checklist signed and dated by both parties.
RCW 59.18.260, Washington State Legislature
Statistic 20
Kentucky landlords who fail to provide signed move-in and move-out damage listings are barred from retaining any portion of the deposit.
KRS 383.580, Kentucky Revised Statutes
Statistic 21
Georgia landlords must inspect within three business days of termination and compile a comprehensive damage list with estimated dollar values, which the tenant has the right to inspect and dispute.
Ga. Code 44-7-33, Georgia security deposit statutes
Statistic 22
Only 40% of renters take pictures of their unit at move-in.
Roost renter research (2020)
Statistic 23
Only 29% of landlords provide a cost list of items and conditions that get deducted from deposits.
Roost security deposit survey (2023)
Statistic 24
Only 29% of renters believe their landlord is clear about how to get 100% of the deposit back.
Roost renter research (2020)
What this means: the law increasingly assumes photographic-grade condition records exist, while in practice 60% of renters have no move-in photos and 71% of landlords publish no deduction pricing. Whoever holds systematic condition documentation wins the dispute by default. This is the same evidence problem short-term rental operators face at 100x the turnover frequency, which is why damage claim documentation standards have professionalized fastest there.
Deposit alternatives: a market built on the lump sum's failure
The size of the pool, and the friction of getting it back, created a security deposit alternatives industry. According to Rhino's company announcements (sayrhino.com), the deposit-insurance provider saved U.S. renters $1 billion in upfront deposits between its 2017 founding and October 2022, with its product offered in more than 2 million homes and a partner network of roughly 2,500 operators managing 6 million rentals, about 14% of the national rental stock. According to Shelterforce's housing-policy reporting (shelterforce.org), Cincinnati passed the country's first "Renter's Choice" ordinance in 2020, and Rhino merged with its lead competitor Jetty in 2025. Consumer advocates note the tradeoff: the monthly fees on surety-bond products are never returned, and tenants remain liable for damage claims, which keeps documentation just as decisive as with cash deposits.
Statistic 25
Rhino reported saving U.S. renters $1 billion in upfront deposits between 2017 and October 2022.
Rhino company announcement (2022)
Statistic 26
Rhino's deposit insurance was offered in more than 2 million homes, through roughly 2,500 partners managing 6 million rentals, about 14% of all U.S. rental homes.
Rhino company announcement (2022)
Statistic 27
Cincinnati passed the first Renter's Choice law in the country in 2020: landlords with 25+ units must offer deposit insurance, a six-month payment plan, or a reduced lump sum capped at half a month's rent.
Shelterforce reporting (2025)
Statistic 28
Columbus followed in 2021, requiring landlords with five or more units to offer payment in full, three monthly installments, or six monthly installments, presented in writing.
Shelterforce reporting (2025)
Statistic 29
Philadelphia's June 2025 law requires landlords with three or more units charging deposits above one month's rent to allow payment in three equal installments.
Shelterforce reporting (2025)
Statistic 30
Rhino merged with its lead competitor Jetty in 2025, consolidating the two largest deposit-alternative providers into one company.
Shelterforce reporting (2025)
Statistic 31
LeaseLock reports that 91% of residents prefer communities offering zero-deposit move-in.
LeaseLock company claim (2026)
Statistic 32
Fees paid into surety-bond deposit alternatives are not returned to renters, and tenants remain liable for the full amount of any damage claim the provider pays out.
Shelterforce reporting; National Housing Law Project guidance (2022)
Statistic 33
Regionally, Rhino reported replacing over $200 million in deposits for New York renters, nearly $150 million in Texas, and more than $65 million in Florida.
Rhino company announcement (2022)
Statistic 34
Interest in Renter's Choice mandates peaked in 2020 and 2021, when officials in dozens of cities and states considered such legislation, and has since receded in favor of installment-plan laws.
Shelterforce reporting (2025)
What this means: whether the deposit is cash, a bond, or an insurance policy, someone still has to prove what the unit looked like before and after. Alternatives move the money, not the evidence burden. The short-term rental industry hit the same wall years earlier and largely swapped deposits for damage waivers backed by inspection documentation; the long-term market is now following the same arc.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
What percentage of renters get their security deposit back?
Only 42% of recent renters who moved from a previous rental got their entire deposit back, per Zillow's Rentals Consumer Housing Trends Report 2024 (fielded 2023). Another 20% got most of it, 20% got some, and 10% got nothing. A Rent.com survey of 1,000 renters found 26% have lost a deposit at some point, and 36% of those got no explanation.
What is the average security deposit for a rental?
Renters who paid a deposit typically paid between $500 and $999, per Zillow's 21,000-renter Consumer Housing Trends research. Roost's renter research puts the average around $600, and estimates $45 billion in renter savings is held in deposits nationwide at any given time.
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit?
It depends on the state: deadlines range from 14 days (Hawaii, Nebraska, New York, South Dakota, Vermont) to 60 days (Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia), with 30 days the most common rule. Tennessee is the only state with no statutory deadline. Nearly every deadline comes with a required written itemized statement of any deductions; the full state-by-state table above lists each statute.
Which states cap security deposits at one month's rent?
At least eleven jurisdictions cap standard deposits at roughly one month: Alabama, California, Delaware (year-plus leases), Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington D.C. California's cap took effect in July 2024 and Maryland's in October 2024, while 21 states still set no general cap at all.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these named public sources, each checked against the original before publishing. Sources are named at the publisher level with their root domain, rather than linked or titled; every figure is verifiable at the named source.
ZillowConsumer Housing Trends renter survey reports, 2021 and 2024zillow.com
Rent Group / ApartmentGuideRent.com renter deposit survey, 1,000 respondentsapartmentguide.com
RoostRenter security deposit surveys and research, 2020 and 2023joinroost.com
iPropertyManagement50-state security deposit law compilations, 2026ipropertymanagement.com
RhinoCompany milestone announcements, 2022sayrhino.com
ShelterforceRenter's Choice legislation reporting, 2025shelterforce.org
LeaseLockZero-deposit resident preference figures, 2026leaselock.com