Florida security deposit deadline & deductions
It depends on what you are doing — within 15 days if no deductions, or 30 days after written notice of a claim
- Deadline
- 15 days if you make no deductions and simply return the deposit; 30 days if you are claiming deductions — the written notice by certified mail is due in this time
- Itemized statement
- Required by statute
- Receipts
- No threshold verified
- Statute
- Fla. Stat. § 83.49
Its shortest count, 15 days, is on the short side — 3 of the 26 states verified here allow less time, and 21 allow more.
Return within 15 days if no deductions; if claiming deductions, send written notice by certified mail within 30 days of move-out.
When the Florida clock runs out
The deadline runs from the end of the tenancy, not from when you get around to inspecting. Florida sets more than one count, so every one of them is worked out below — which applies depends on the condition beside it:
| Tenant moves out | 15 days — if you make no deductions and simply return the deposit | 30 days — if you are claiming deductions — the written notice by certified mail is due in this time |
|---|---|---|
| January 31, 2026 | February 15, 2026 | March 2, 2026 |
| April 15, 2026 | April 30, 2026 | May 15, 2026 |
| July 31, 2026 | August 15, 2026 | August 30, 2026 |
| November 30, 2026 | December 15, 2026 | December 30, 2026 |
Does Florida require an itemized statement?
Yes — Florida requires an itemized written statement of any deductions rather than a lump sum, under Fla. Stat. § 83.49. Each charge needs to stand on its own: what was damaged, and what it cost to put right.
What you can actually charge for
Florida statute sets the deadline and the paperwork; it does not publish a table of what a worn carpet is worth. The defensible method — charging only the useful life the tenant used up early, and excluding normal wear — is the same in every state, and is explained on the calculator, which builds the itemized statement and puts the Florida deadline on it.
Next: Florida deposit return letter · move-in report · every state’s deadline
Florida rule last checked 2026-07-23 against Fla. Stat. § 83.49. General information, not legal advice — confirm the current statute before sending a deduction statement.
Everything else we’ve researched about Florida
Same state, the problems either side of this one. Each carries its own statute and the date we last checked it.
Questions people ask
- How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Florida?
- Florida: Return within 15 days if no deductions; if claiming deductions, send written notice by certified mail within 30 days of move-out. (Fla. Stat. § 83.49). Its shortest count, 15 days, is on the short side — 3 of the 26 states verified here allow less time, and 21 allow more.
- Does Florida require an itemized statement of deductions?
- Yes. Florida requires an itemized written statement of any deductions rather than a lump sum (Fla. Stat. § 83.49).
- Do I need receipts for deductions in Florida?
- No threshold verified. Florida's statute, as verified here, does not set a dollar figure above which receipts are required (Fla. Stat. § 83.49). That does not make an undocumented charge safe: every deduction still has to be reasonable and documented, and a receipt or invoice is what makes it so.