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Free Nebraska Security Deposit
Return Letter Template

Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Nebraska Security Deposit Return Letter

When a tenancy ends, a Nebraska landlord has a set time to return the deposit or send an itemized list of deductions. Here’s what Nebraska’s statute says.

Nebraska rules at a glance

Nebraska rules for a Security Deposit Return Letter
Return deadline14 days. The balance and a written itemization must be delivered or mailed within 14 days after the date the tenancy ends.Neb. Rev. Stat. §76-1416(2)
PenaltyA noncompliant landlord owes the money due plus court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees, and a willful, bad-faith failure adds liquidated damages of one month’s rent or twice the deposit, whichever is less.Neb. Rev. Stat. §76-1416(3)

Security deposits in Nebraska

A Nebraska landlord may not demand or receive security, however it is labeled, of more than one month’s periodic rent. The one exception is a separate pet deposit of up to one-fourth of a month’s rent where appropriate (§76-1416(1)). Housing agencies under the Nebraska Housing Agency Act are exempt from the cap.

  • Deductions — At the end of the tenancy the deposit and any prepaid rent may be applied to unpaid rent and to damages caused by the tenant’s noncompliance with the lease or the tenant’s statutory duties (§76-1416(2)).
  • 14-day return — The balance and a written itemization must be delivered or mailed within 14 days after the date the tenancy ends (§76-1416(2)).
  • No forwarding address — If the tenant gives no address, the landlord mails the balance and itemization first-class to the last known address; money returned undeliverable or unclaimed for a year goes to the State Treasurer as unclaimed property (§76-1416(2)).
  • Penalty — A landlord who misses the rules owes the money due plus court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees. If the failure was willful and not in good faith, the tenant may also recover liquidated damages equal to one month’s rent or twice the deposit, whichever is less (§76-1416(3)).
  • New owners are bound — Whoever holds the landlord’s interest when the tenancy ends is responsible for the deposit (§76-1416(5)).

Required disclosures in Nebraska

Beyond these, the Act itself prescribes few other lease disclosures.

  • Owner & manager — At or before move-in, the landlord must disclose in writing the name and address of the property manager and of an owner or agent authorized to accept service of process and notices. A person who fails to do so becomes the owner’s agent for those purposes (§76-1417).
  • Lead-based paint — Federal law requires the lead warning, EPA pamphlet and known-hazard disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. §4852d).
  • Pet deposit — If you charge a pet deposit, state it separately — it’s the only amount allowed above the one-month cap, and it’s limited to a quarter of a month’s rent (§76-1416(1)).

Tenant protections you can’t waive

  • Void lease terms — A lease can’t make the tenant waive rights under the Act, confess judgment, pay either party’s attorney’s fees, or excuse the landlord’s active negligence. Such terms are unenforceable, and a landlord who knowingly uses them owes actual damages and attorney’s fees (§76-1415).
  • No retaliation — A landlord can’t raise rent, cut services or sue for possession because the tenant complained to a code agency or joined a tenants’ union (§76-1439), subject to narrow exceptions such as unpaid rent.
  • Deposit rules — The one-month cap, 14-day return and liquidated-damages penalty apply no matter what the lease says (§76-1416).
  • Written entry notice — The 24-hour written, purpose-stated notice can’t be replaced by a verbal heads-up (§76-1423).

Nebraska Security Deposit Return Letter FAQs

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

No more than one month’s rent. A landlord may also take a separate pet deposit of up to one-fourth of a month’s rent where appropriate (§76-1416(1)).

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

Fourteen days after the tenancy ends, with a written itemization of any deductions. A willful, bad-faith failure can cost the landlord liquidated damages of one month’s rent or twice the deposit, whichever is less, plus attorney’s fees (§76-1416).

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Security Deposit Return Letter in other states

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