How much a landlord can charge, and which deductions are actually legal
This page covers how much a landlord may charge in Connecticut, and which deductions from a residential deposit are lawful. It assumes the tenancy has ended and the question is what may be withheld.
It does not cover:
Two months' rent (reduced to one month's rent for tenants 62 years of age or older) — § 47a-21(b).
Caps frequently carry exceptions — smaller landlords, furnished units, or pets are treated differently in most states. Read the provision itself rather than relying on the headline figure.
| Claimed deduction | Permitted in Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Unpaid rent | Permitted, if substantiated |
| Unpaid utility payments (itemized) | Permitted, if substantiated |
| Damages to the premises (itemized by nature and amount) | Permitted, if substantiated |
| Claimed deduction | Permitted in Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Ordinary wear and tear | Not permitted |
| Any amount without the written itemized notice of damages within 30 days | Not permitted |
| Any retention of interest owed on the deposit | Not permitted |
Whether a specific charge is lawful depends on the facts — how old the damage is, whether the lease addressed it, and whether the landlord can document the cost. A charge being in the "permitted" column does not make it automatically collectable.
The landlord must return the deposit plus interest, or itemize claimed damages in writing, within 30 days (after a written forwarding address is provided). Failure triggers double the deposit. The landlord must also show the deposit was held in a Connecticut escrow account.
In Connecticut the burden sits with the landlord. This matters strategically: if the burden is theirs, your task is to request the documentation rather than to prove the deduction wrong. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21 ↗
A landlord who withholds in bad faith may be liable for 2x the full deposit.
If the landlord fails to return the deposit (with interest) or provide the written itemized notice of damages within the statutory time limits, the landlord must pay the tenant TWICE the amount of the security deposit. No bad-faith finding is required.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d) ↗Connecticut's § 47a-21 gives a flat double-the-deposit penalty if the landlord misses the return/notice deadline. Because it is based on the FULL deposit (not the withheld amount), even a partial improper withholding triggers doubling the entire deposit.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d) ↗Connecticut is one of the states requiring landlords to pay interest on deposits (deposit index, 0.49% for 2026) and to hold them in an escrow account in Connecticut. Unpaid interest is recoverable alongside the deposit.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(i) ↗““You never gave me a forwarding address.””
Without my written address, you had a temporary extension — but only until 15 days after receiving my address. Here it is in writing. Your 30-day return obligation (and the double-damages exposure for missing it) is otherwise unchanged.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d)
““I deducted for damages.””
You must provide a written notice itemizing the nature and amount of any damages, with the remaining balance and interest, within 30 days. If you did not, you owe me twice my security deposit.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d)
““I do not pay interest on deposits.””
Connecticut law requires you to pay interest on my deposit (the deposit index rate) annually. Unpaid interest is owed along with the deposit itself.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(i)
Some widely circulated summaries of Connecticut deposit law state things the statute does not say. We list the disagreements rather than picking a side silently.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Some secondary sources | 21 days |
| Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d)(2) | 30 days after termination (tenant's vacate date) |
What we follow: 30 days
The statute says 30 days. The "21 days" figure appears in some DOB summaries but the operative statutory text (§ 47a-21(d)(2)) is 30 days.
Every figure on this page comes from the official text, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked against the source.
| Statute | Last verified | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d)(2) | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
| Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d) | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
| Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21 | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
| Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(i) | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
Primary reference: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21 (Security Deposit Act). Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Amendments are recorded on the site changelog.
A self-help letter is the right starting point for a single deposit you can document. Get legal help if:
Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.
Connecticut Security Deposit Return
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The statute does not permit deductions for: ordinary wear and tear; any amount without the written itemized notice of damages within 30 days; any retention of interest owed on the deposit.
The landlord. The landlord must return the deposit plus interest, or itemize claimed damages in writing, within 30 days (after a written forwarding address is provided). Failure triggers double the deposit. The landlord must also show the deposit was held in a Connecticut escrow account.
Two months' rent (reduced to one month's rent for tenants 62 years of age or older) — § 47a-21(b).
No. Ordinary wear and tear