Last reviewed September 2026
Written by LawLease Editorial
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Kentucky Security Deposit Return Letter
When a tenancy ends, a Kentucky landlord has a set time to return the deposit or send an itemized list of deductions. Here’s what Kentucky’s statute says.
Kentucky rules at a glance
| Return deadline | There is no single return deadline: if a refund is due the landlord mails a notice of the amount and may keep it if the tenant doesn’t respond within 60 days, and may apply the deposit after 30 days if the tenant left owing the last month’s rent without demanding it.KRS 383.580(6)–(7) |
|---|---|
| Forfeiture | A landlord who skips the separate-account and move-in/move-out damage-list duties can lose the right to keep any of the deposit.KRS 383.580(4) |
Security deposits in Kentucky
Kentucky sets no limit on the amount of a security deposit. Where the URLTA applies, KRS 383.580 imposes three duties that many landlords miss — and a landlord who skips them can lose the right to keep any of the deposit (KRS 383.580(4)).
- Separate account — Deposits must be held in an account used only for security deposits, at a bank or lending institution regulated by Kentucky or the U.S. government. Prospective tenants must be told where the account is and its account number (KRS 383.580(1)).
- Move-in damage list — Before taking a deposit, the landlord must give the tenant a comprehensive list of existing damage with estimated repair costs; the tenant may inspect the unit to check it, and both sign (KRS 383.580(2)).
- Move-out damage list — At move-out the landlord inspects and lists any damage to be charged with estimated costs; the tenant may inspect, and either signs or states in writing which items they dispute (KRS 383.580(3)).
- Return timing — There is no single return deadline. If a tenant leaves without paying the last month’s rent and doesn’t demand the deposit, the landlord may apply it after 30 days. If the tenant owes nothing and a refund is due, the landlord mails a notice of the refund amount; if the tenant doesn’t respond within 60 days, the landlord may keep it (KRS 383.580(6)–(7)).
Required disclosures in Kentucky
The manager/owner, deposit-account, and damage-list duties come from the URLTA sections of Chapter 383, so they bind landlords where the Act is in force. Following them everywhere in Kentucky costs little and keeps the deposit defensible if your locality has adopted the Act.
- Manager & owner — The name and address of the property manager and of an owner or agent authorized to accept notices and service of process, in writing at or before move-in (KRS 383.585).
- Deposit account — The location and account number of the separate security-deposit account (KRS 383.580(1)).
- Damage listing — A signed list of existing damage, with estimated repair costs, before the deposit is paid (KRS 383.580(2)).
- Lead-based paint — Federal law requires the lead warning and any known-hazard disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. §4852d).
Kentucky Security Deposit Return Letter FAQs
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Kentucky?
Kentucky sets no maximum. In URLTA areas, the deposit must sit in a separate deposit-only account, the tenant must be told where it is and the account number, and the landlord must provide a signed move-in damage list — or risk losing the right to keep any of it (KRS 383.580).
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Kentucky?
Kentucky has no single statutory deadline. Where the URLTA applies, a landlord owed the last month’s rent may apply the deposit after 30 days if the tenant doesn’t demand it; if a refund is due, the landlord mails a notice of the amount and may keep it only if the tenant doesn’t respond within 60 days (KRS 383.580(6)–(7)). The period in your lease sets the practical deadline.
More Kentucky landlord documents
- Kentucky Residential Lease Agreement
- Kentucky Eviction Notice
- Kentucky Rent Increase Notice
- Kentucky Notice to Vacate
- Kentucky Application Approval Letter
- Kentucky Application Denial Letter
- Kentucky Background & Credit Check Authorization
- Kentucky Rental Application
- Kentucky Co-Signer Guarantor Agreement
- Kentucky Bed Bug Addendum
- Kentucky Mold & Mildew Addendum
- Kentucky No-Smoking Addendum
- Kentucky Parking & Storage Addendum
- Kentucky HOA & Community Rules Addendum
- Kentucky Crime-Free Housing Addendum
- Kentucky Utilities & Services Addendum
- Kentucky Early Termination Addendum
- Kentucky Lease Extension Addendum
- Kentucky Lead-Based Paint Disclosure
- Kentucky Military Clause (SCRA)
- Kentucky Pet Addendum
- Kentucky Cash for Keys Agreement
- Kentucky Mutual Lease Termination Agreement
- Kentucky Lease Renewal Agreement
- Kentucky Notice of Non-Renewal
- Kentucky Late Rent Notice
- Kentucky Lease Violation Notice
- Kentucky Notice of Entry
- Kentucky Move-In / Move-Out Inspection Checklist
- Kentucky Rent Receipt
- Kentucky Rent Verification Letter
- Kentucky Tenant Welcome Letter
- Kentucky Property Management Agreement
- Kentucky Commercial Lease
- Kentucky Rent-to-Own Agreement
- Kentucky Short-Term Rental Agreement
- Kentucky Room Rental Agreement
- Kentucky Roommate Agreement
- Kentucky Spanish Lease Agreement
- Kentucky Sublease Agreement
- Kentucky Lease Amendment
Security Deposit Return Letter in other states
- Alabama Security Deposit Return Letter
- Alaska Security Deposit Return Letter
- Arizona Security Deposit Return Letter
- Arkansas Security Deposit Return Letter
- California Security Deposit Return Letter
- Colorado Security Deposit Return Letter
- Connecticut Security Deposit Return Letter
- Delaware Security Deposit Return Letter
- District of Columbia Security Deposit Return Letter
- Florida Security Deposit Return Letter
- Georgia Security Deposit Return Letter
- Hawaii Security Deposit Return Letter
- Idaho Security Deposit Return Letter
- Illinois Security Deposit Return Letter
- Indiana Security Deposit Return Letter
- Iowa Security Deposit Return Letter
- Kansas Security Deposit Return Letter
- Louisiana Security Deposit Return Letter
- Maine Security Deposit Return Letter
- Maryland Security Deposit Return Letter
- Massachusetts Security Deposit Return Letter
- Michigan Security Deposit Return Letter
- Minnesota Security Deposit Return Letter
- Mississippi Security Deposit Return Letter
- Missouri Security Deposit Return Letter
- Montana Security Deposit Return Letter
- Nebraska Security Deposit Return Letter
- Nevada Security Deposit Return Letter
- New Hampshire Security Deposit Return Letter
- New Jersey Security Deposit Return Letter
- New Mexico Security Deposit Return Letter
- New York Security Deposit Return Letter
- North Carolina Security Deposit Return Letter
- North Dakota Security Deposit Return Letter
- Ohio Security Deposit Return Letter
- Oklahoma Security Deposit Return Letter
- Oregon Security Deposit Return Letter
- Pennsylvania Security Deposit Return Letter
- Rhode Island Security Deposit Return Letter
- South Carolina Security Deposit Return Letter
- South Dakota Security Deposit Return Letter
- Tennessee Security Deposit Return Letter
- Texas Security Deposit Return Letter
- Utah Security Deposit Return Letter
- Vermont Security Deposit Return Letter
- Virginia Security Deposit Return Letter
- Washington Security Deposit Return Letter
- West Virginia Security Deposit Return Letter
- Wisconsin Security Deposit Return Letter
- Wyoming Security Deposit Return Letter
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