Louisiana Landlords Have One Month After a Lease Ends to Return a Security Deposit or Explain What Was Kept
James Brazil lives in Mérida, Mexico. He founded Swift Agent Sites and studied Classics at the University of Mississippi.
Published · Updated
Under R.S. 9:3251, a Louisiana residential security deposit must be returned within one month after the lease ends, except amounts reasonably needed to remedy a default or unreasonable wear. If any portion is kept, the landlord must send an itemized statement with the reasons.
That 15-day alternative for the itemized statement was added by Acts 2026, No. 63. The refund itself remains due within one month after the lease terminates. The tenant shall furnish a forwarding address at the termination of the lease, to which such statements may be sent. Subsection A does not apply when the tenant abandons the premises, either without giving notice as required or prior to the termination of the lease.
What if the landlord does not comply?
R.S. 9:3252 provides that the willful failure to comply with R.S. 9:3251 gives the tenant the right to recover any portion of the security deposit wrongfully retained and three hundred dollars or twice the amount of the portion wrongfully retained, whichever is greater, from the landlord or from the lessor's successor in interest. Failure to remit within 30 days after written demand for a refund shall constitute willful failure. An action may be brought in the parish of the lessor's domicile or in the parish where the property is situated.
This article does not invent a statewide cap on the size of a deposit. The official statute regulates return, itemization, and damages, not a maximum deposit amount. If the lease promises interest, that promise is a contract term, not a figure invented here.
If the leased premises are transferred during the term, the transferor shall also transfer the security deposit to the successor, and the transferee is then responsible for returning the deposit at termination, as subsection B provides.
How should you close out a rental when you also have a mover?
Schedule the move so you can complete a walk-through, return keys, and end the lease on a date you can prove. Photograph each room after furniture is out. Give the forwarding address at termination, in writing, and keep a copy. If a mover caused damage, document whether the claim belongs with the mover, the landlord, or both, and do not let one dispute erase the one-month deposit clock.
If deductions include cleaning or ordinary wear, compare them with the lease and with the statutory standard of default or unreasonable wear. The official paper has to itemize amounts retained and give the reasons. A single lump-sum deduction with no list is not the itemized statement the statute describes. If no refund arrives, send a written demand and count the 30 days that official law treats as willful failure if the landlord does not remit.
What records should you keep at move-out?
Complete a walk-through after furniture is out, return the keys, and end the lease on a date you can prove. Photograph each room, appliances, and any existing damage that was already noted at move-in. Give the forwarding address at termination, in writing, and keep a copy. If a mover caused damage, document whether the claim belongs with the mover, the landlord, or both, and do not let one dispute erase the one-month deposit clock.
The refund itself remains due within one month after the lease terminates. The 15-day alternative added by Acts 2026, No. 63, is a timing rule for the itemized statement, not a longer deadline for returning money that is not being kept. If no refund arrives, send a written demand and count the 30 days that R.S. 9:3252 treats as willful failure if the landlord does not remit. The official recovery is the wrongfully retained portion plus $300 or twice that retained amount, whichever is greater. Venue is the parish of the lessor's domicile or the parish where the property is situated.
This article does not invent a statewide cap on the size of a deposit. The official statute regulates return, itemization, and damages. If the lessor's interest is transferred during the term, the deposit goes to the successor, who then becomes responsible for the return.
If the move also stays inside Louisiana, hire an LPSC-certificated household-goods mover and keep the written estimate. If the shipment crosses a state line, use the federal papers on ProtectYourMove.gov. Those moving rules are separate from the deposit statute, but the same move-out date often starts both clocks.
If the landlord sends an itemized statement, compare each line with the lease and with the statutory standard of default or unreasonable wear. A single lump-sum deduction with no list is not the itemized statement the statute describes. Keep the statement with your move-out photographs and the written demand, if you have to send one.
If you are leaving a Louisiana rental, talk with a licensed local agent if you also need renter's or auto coverage at the new address, and use the official one-month deposit rules when you turn over the keys.
FAQ
When is a Louisiana security deposit due back?
Within one month after the lease terminates, under R.S. 9:3251, except for amounts reasonably necessary to remedy a default or unreasonable wear.
When is the itemized statement due if money is kept?
Within one month after the tenancy terminates, or within 15 days after that one-month date, as amended by Acts 2026, No. 63. The tenant should provide a forwarding address at termination.
What can I recover if the landlord willfully fails to comply?
The wrongfully retained portion plus $300 or twice that retained amount, whichever is greater, under R.S. 9:3252. Failure to remit within 30 days after a written demand for a refund constitutes willful failure.
What if I leave before the lease ends without required notice?
Subsection A does not apply when the tenant abandons the premises without giving required notice or prior to termination of the lease.
Sources: R.S. 9:3251, R.S. 9:3252.
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