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Get the deposit right at both ends

Escrow rules and notice requirements at move-in; interest, deductions, and the return deadline at move-out — each cited to your state’s statute.

  • Move-in: how to hold it
  • Move-out: the exact math
  • The deadline that bites

Tell us about the deposit

Pick a state to see the rules

The deposit is the most litigated dollar in landlording

Deposit statutes are where small landlords lose real money — usually not for keeping what they weren’t owed, but for missing a deadline or skipping an itemization. The workbench covers both ends: holding the deposit legally at move-in, and the interest, deadline, and letter at move-out.

  1. 01Pick state and city

    Deposit rules are state law — except where they are not. Chicago overrides Illinois.

  2. 02Enter the deposit facts

    Amount, dates held, rent, and deductions. Bank-rate states ask for your real rate.

  3. 03See interest and deadline

    Interest owed, the amount to return, and the statutory date — each cited.

  4. 04Send the itemization

    One click into a state-aware itemized return letter with your figures in it.

Why use the workbench

The penalties are asymmetric — small mistakes cost multiples.

Interest rules vary wildly

Minnesota a flat 1%, Massachusetts capped at 5%, Connecticut an annual index.

Deadlines have teeth

Miss New York’s 14 days and the deposit is forfeit. Maryland’s 45 days ends the right to withhold.

Escrow is easy to breach

Several states require a dedicated in-state account from day one. Commingling voids the claim.

Both ends of the tenancy

How to hold it lawfully at move-in, not only what to return at move-out.

Penalties are asymmetric

Double damages in New Jersey, treble in Massachusetts. Small slips cost multiples.

Honest about its limits

Unresearched states say “not yet modeled”. Nothing is silently guessed.

I'd been a landlord for 12 years and used to pay $200 every time I needed a lease reviewed. LawLease took me 4 minutes and the document is better than anything my old attorney emailed me.

Robert M.

3 single-family rentals, Austin, TX

When to open it

The two moments a deposit mistake gets expensive.

Taking a new deposit

Before cashing the cheque: the account type, disclosures, and receipts your state expects.

Tenant just moved out

Interest, deductions, deadline, and letter in one sitting.

A deduction is disputed

Check the deadline you are working to before the argument gets expensive.

Frequently asked questions

No. LawLease is not a law firm. The workbench applies researched, cited statutory rules to your numbers. Whether a specific deduction is lawful is fact-specific — attorney review is recommended for contested withholdings.
The deposit-interest jurisdictions plus their neighbors in our researched set: CT, IL (plus Chicago’s RLTO separately), MA, MD, FL, MN, NC, NJ, NH, NM, OK, OH, PA, NV, and DC. Other states show “not yet modeled” rather than a guess.
From each state’s actual mechanism, verified against primary sources: fixed statutory rates (Minnesota 1%, Ohio 5% on the excess), published indexes (Connecticut’s Banking Commissioner deposit index, Chicago’s Comptroller rate, Maryland’s Treasury-linked rate with its 1.5% floor), and bank-account-specific rules where the statute ties interest to your real account — there the workbench asks for your rate.
Because that’s what the law says: New Jersey, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, DC, and Illinois (outside Chicago) tie tenant interest to what the deposit account actually earned. Any tool that shows a single number for those states is making it up.
Generally unpaid rent and damage beyond normal wear and tear, with an itemized statement — several states also require estimates or receipts. Normal wear (faded paint, worn carpet) is not deductible anywhere. When in doubt, itemize conservatively; the penalty regimes punish over-withholding, not under-withholding.
In several states, yes — clocks can run from receiving the forwarding address (Connecticut, Minnesota), and Oklahoma’s only runs after the tenant makes written demand. The workbench notes each state’s trigger alongside the date.

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