Getting the Deposit Back
AS 34.03.070 — no more than two months' rent, an itemized notice in 14 days or 30 with damage, and twice the amount for a willful failure
When a tenancy ends on proper notice, the landlord mails the tenant an itemized written notice of the rent and damages kept, with the refund, within 14 days after the tenant gives up possession, or within 30 days if costs are deducted for damage.
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A landlord may not take prepaid rent or a security deposit of more than two months' rent, though the limit does not apply where the rent is more than $2,000 a month. The money goes, wherever practicable, into a trust account, and the landlord tells the tenant the terms on which any of it may be kept.
When the tenancy ends, the landlord may apply the deposit to rent owed and to damage caused by the tenant's breach of the tenant's duties. Damage does not include normal wear and tear, or deterioration from the landlord's own failure to prepare for expected conditions or to meet the landlord's duties.
- The rent and damages kept are itemized in a written notice mailed to the tenant's last known address.
- After proper notice ending the tenancy, the notice and refund are mailed within 14 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant gives up possession.
- The landlord has 30 days if costs are deducted for damage.
A landlord who willfully fails to follow these rules may owe the tenant up to twice the amount actually withheld.
Sources for this section (1)
- AS 34.03.070 — Security deposits and prepaid rent
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Alaska attorney.