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Free Delaware Move-In /
Move-Out Inspection Checklist Template

Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Delaware Move-In / Move-Out Inspection Checklist

This Move-In / Move-Out Inspection Checklist is built with Delaware as the governing state. These are the Delaware landlord-tenant rules that most often bear on it, with the statute for each.

Delaware rules at a glance

Delaware rules for a Move-In / Move-Out Inspection Checklist
Security deposit limit1 month’s rent for leases of 1 year or more, and for month-to-month once it passes 1 year (caps don’t apply to furnished units)25 Del. C. §5514(a)
Deposit return20 days, with an itemized list of damages; double the amount wrongfully withheld25 Del. C. §5514(e)–(g)
Pet depositA separate pet deposit is allowed but can’t exceed one month’s rent, whatever the lease length; animal damage is charged against it first. No pet deposit may be charged for a certified, trained support animal (§5514(i)).
Escrow accountEvery deposit must be held in an escrow account at a federally insured bank with an office in Delaware that accepts deposits (§5514(b)).
Fee and deposit capsThe 5% late-fee cap, the application-fee cap and the one-month deposit cap for leases of a year or more apply regardless of what the lease says (§§5501(d), 5514).

Security deposits in Delaware

Delaware’s deposit cap turns on the length of the lease. For a rental agreement of one year or more, the security deposit can’t exceed one month’s rent. A month-to-month tenancy has no cap in its first year, but once it passes one year the landlord must return any amount above one month’s rent. These caps don’t apply to furnished rental units (§5514(a)).

  • Pet deposit — A separate pet deposit is allowed but can’t exceed one month’s rent, whatever the lease length; animal damage is charged against it first. No pet deposit may be charged for a certified, trained support animal (§5514(i)).
  • Escrow account — Every deposit must be held in an escrow account at a federally insured bank with an office in Delaware that accepts deposits (§5514(b)).
  • Allowed deductions — Damage beyond normal wear and tear that ordinary cleaning and painting won’t fix, unpaid rent and late charges, and reasonable renovating and re-renting costs if the tenant leaves early (capped at one month’s rent when the tenant ends the lease early under §5314) (§5514(c)).
  • 20-day return — Within 20 days after the lease ends the landlord must send an itemized list of damages with estimated repair costs and pay back the difference (§5514(e)–(f)).
  • Penalty — Failing to return the deposit or the balance within 20 days entitles the tenant to double the amount wrongfully withheld (§5514(g)(1)).

Tenant protections you can’t waive

  • No waiver clauses — A lease can’t make the tenant waive rights or remedies under the Landlord-Tenant Code or exculpate the landlord from liability. A landlord who tries to enforce a provision it knows is prohibited can owe the tenant three months’ rent plus court costs (§5301).
  • No lockouts — Removing or excluding a tenant without a court order entitles the tenant to treble damages or three times the per-diem rent for the time locked out (§5313).
  • No retaliation — A landlord can’t evict, raise rent or cut services because a tenant complained about code violations or joined a tenant organization; action within 90 days of such a complaint is presumed retaliatory (§5516).
  • Fee and deposit caps — The 5% late-fee cap, the application-fee cap and the one-month deposit cap for leases of a year or more apply regardless of what the lease says (§§5501(d), 5514).

Delaware Move-In / Move-Out Inspection Checklist FAQs

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Delaware?

For an unfurnished unit on a lease of one year or more, no more than one month’s rent. A month-to-month tenancy isn’t capped in its first year, but after a year the landlord must return anything above one month’s rent. A separate pet deposit of up to one month’s rent is also allowed (25 Del. C. §5514).

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Delaware?

20 days after the lease ends — one of the shortest windows in the country. The landlord must send an itemized list of damages with estimated repair costs and pay the balance; missing the deadline entitles the tenant to double the amount wrongfully withheld (§5514(f)–(g)).

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