The rule
- Deposit limit
- No limit
- Return deadline
- 30 days
- Interest owed
- Not required
- Itemized deductions
- Required
- The limit
- No statutory limit.
- The deadline
- 15 days to return the full deposit if no claim is made; to make deductions, the landlord must send a notice of intent to impose a claim within 30 days. The tenant then has 15 days to object, and any balance is due within 30 days after the notice.
- Interest
- Interest is owed only if the deposit is held in an interest-bearing account (at least 75% of the account rate or 5% simple, at the landlord’s election) or the landlord posts a surety bond (5% simple).
- Deductions
- The landlord must give you an itemized list of anything kept from the deposit.
- If it isn’t returned
- A landlord who misses the 30-day claim notice forfeits the right to deduct from the deposit (but may sue for damages after returning it); prevailing party recovers court costs and attorney’s fees.
Law: Fla. Stat. § 83.49
Last reviewed September 30, 2026
Not legal advice. Statutes change; check the linked section.