When must a landlord return the security deposit after a tenant moves out?
Within 10 days after the tenant vacates, the landlord must return the full deposit, with the interest it has earned, unless the landlord has a claim against it. A claim does not by itself let the landlord keep anything. Under section 14(10) the landlord may keep part or all of the deposit only where the tenant agrees in writing to how it is disposed of, or where the landlord applies to the Director of Residential Tenancies under section 42 to decide it. If there is no written agreement and no application, the deposit goes back to the tenant in full. A list of deductions sent to the tenant is not a substitute for either. If the tenant applies first, the landlord has 10 days from being served with the tenant's application to make their own; a landlord who does not must return the deposit, and the Director may order its return without a hearing (s.14(11)–(13)).
- Where this comes from
- Section 14(9)–(13), Residential Tenancies Act, 2018 (Newfoundland and Labrador)
- Last reviewed