Security deposit deductions: what a landlord can keep

A security deposit is money the tenant pays at the start of a tenancy and gets back at the end, less what they owe. It is not the landlord's to keep. In almost every country the same principle holds: a landlord may deduct what the tenant owes under the lease and the cost of putting right damage the tenant caused, and must account for every deduction.

What changes from place to place is the detail: how large a deposit may be, whether it has to be protected in a scheme, how soon it must be returned, and what happens to a landlord who gets it wrong. Those details are in the tables further down.

• Rent the tenant has not paid.
• Bills and charges the tenant agreed to pay and did not, such as utilities in their name under the lease.
• The cost of repairing damage beyond normal wear and tear, caused by the tenant, their household or their guests.
• Cleaning, when the home is left dirtier than it was when the tenancy began. The aim is to bring it back to that condition, not to make it better than it was.
• Items on the inventory that are missing, and keys that were not returned.

Each deduction should match a real cost: a repair, a replacement, or an amount the tenant owes. A deduction that is a round figure with no invoice or quote behind it is the first to be challenged.

• Normal wear and tear: the decline that comes from living in a home at all.
• Damage that was already there when the tenant moved in.
• Routine maintenance, and redecorating between tenancies.
• Improvements that leave the home better than it was.
• Costs with no evidence behind them.
• Penalties or fees that neither the lease nor the law allows.

Most deposit disputes come down to this question. These examples show where the line usually falls, although the condition at move-in, the length of the tenancy and the age of each item all count.

Age matters too. A carpet near the end of its life is worth less than a new one, so charging the tenant for a brand-new replacement is rarely fair. Deposit schemes and courts often reduce a claim to reflect the age of what was damaged.

For example, a carpet expected to last ten years is ruined after seven. Three of its ten years were left, so a fair charge is about three tenths of the cost of a similar replacement: 300 towards a 1,000 carpet, not the full 1,000.

1. Record the condition of the home at move-in: an inventory with dated photos, signed by both of you if you can.
2. Inspect it at move-out against the same inventory, with the tenant there if possible.
3. Get a quote, an invoice or a receipt for every cost you want to deduct.
4. Send the tenant an itemised statement: each deduction with its reason and amount, and what is being refunded. The deposit settlement statement makes one in your browser.
5. Pay back the rest within the deadline that applies, and keep all the records.
6. If you cannot agree, use the dispute service of the deposit scheme where there is one, or the courts.

It depends on where the home is. In England, a landlord must return the deposit within 10 days of the landlord and tenant agreeing how much comes back. In California it is 21 days after the tenant moves out, in New York 14 days, and in Texas 30 days. In Florida it is 15 days, or 30 days to send notice of any deduction.

In France a landlord has one month from the return of the keys, or two months if the move-out inventory differs from the move-in one. In the Netherlands it is 14 days after the tenancy ends, or 30 days when costs are deducted. Germany sets no fixed deadline, Singapore leaves it to the tenancy agreement, and in the Philippines the deposit comes back at the end of the lease with the interest it earned.

The limits and deadlines below were checked against the law, or official guidance where there is no law, on 16 October 2026. They are a starting point, not legal advice: rules change, and the details of a tenancy matter, so check the current law where the home is or ask a local adviser.

The same rules protect you. Ask for the itemised statement, and for the invoice, quote or photo behind any deduction you question, and compare it with the move-in inventory. A charge for wear and tear, for damage that was there before you, or for a brand-new replacement of something old is worth challenging.

If you still disagree, use the deposit scheme's free dispute service where there is one, as in England, or a small claims court. In Crestlet the tenant sees the same deposit record as the landlord: the amount received, each deduction with its reason, and the refund.

Can a landlord charge for cleaning?

Only to bring the home back to how clean it was at move-in, not to make it cleaner than that. Cleaning between tenancies as a matter of routine is the landlord’s own cost.

Can a landlord charge for repainting?

Only where the tenant damaged the walls beyond wear and tear, and then only for the part of the paint’s life that was left. Repainting between tenancies is routine maintenance.

Can the deposit cover unpaid rent?

Yes. Rent the tenant owes is one of the most common deductions. Some places stop a tenant from treating the deposit as their last month’s rent, so check the lease and the local law.

Does a landlord have to pay interest on the deposit?

It depends on the place. In Germany the interest it earns belongs to the tenant, and in the Philippines the interest is returned at the end of the lease. In the Netherlands no interest is due, and the template agreement in Singapore returns the deposit without interest.

What if the tenant does not agree with a deduction?

Start with the evidence: the inventories, the photos and the invoices. Where the deposit is held in a protection scheme, as in England, the scheme’s free dispute service can decide. Elsewhere it goes to a small claims court or tribunal.

A deposit is settled months or years after it was paid, so the record of it matters as much as the money. In Crestlet the deposit sits on the same record as the lease: the amount received, each deduction with its reason, and the refund. The tenant sees the same account, which settles most questions before they are asked.