Walk It Through: The Deposit at Move Out
A deposit of two months' rent, a lease that says 30 days, worn carpet, and a letter giving 7 days.
Signing a lease, the landlord asks for a deposit larger than 2 months' rent.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A written lease in an ordinary apartment building. A building of 5 or fewer units where the landlord lives is outside these rules.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Normal wear and tearThe deterioration that comes from ordinary use without negligence, carelessness, accident or abuse, which a deposit may not be kept to pay for.
- Tenancy at willA rental with no fixed term, ended by at least 30 days' written notice from either side, or 7 days for the causes the law lists.