How long a landlord has to return your deposit, and what you can claim if they miss it
This page covers residential security deposits in Ohio, where a landlord has kept some or all of a deposit after a tenancy ends.
It does not cover:
Lease terms and local ordinances can change what applies. Where a city has its own deposit rules, those may differ from the state statute below.
Measured from the termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession.
Itemized written notice of deductions + the amount due, within 30 days. Unlike some states, Ohio does not condition this on the tenant first providing a forwarding address — but failing to provide one forfeits the (C) penalty and attorney fees.
Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B) ↗A landlord who withholds in bad faith may be liable for 1x the portion wrongfully withheld.
Ohio awards damages "equal to the amount wrongfully withheld" — a 1x (equal-amount) recovery, NOT a 2x or 3x multiplier. Note the basis is the amount wrongfully withheld, not the full deposit. The tenant must also have provided a written forwarding address: division (B) expressly says a tenant who fails to do so "shall not be entitled to damages or attorneys fees under division (C)."
Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(C) ↗The tenant may recover the landlord's attorney fees.
Reasonable attorney fees are recoverable under division (C), but only if the tenant provided a written forwarding address (division (B) bars the fee otherwise).
Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(C) ↗No statutory penalty beyond returning the deposit.
No flat penalty or multiplier beyond the 1x wrongfully-withheld amount. Division (A) separately requires 5% annual interest on the excess above $50 or one month's rent (whichever is greater) when the deposit is held 6 months or more, but that is an interest duty, not a penalty.
Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(A) ↗The clock does not start on the day you decided to leave. In Ohio it starts the termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession — for most leases that is the date you hand back the keys, not the date your notice period began.
““Cleaning fee $400.””
Ohio requires each deduction to be itemized and identified in a written notice delivered with the amount due within 30 days. A blanket figure is not an itemization. Provide the specific cleaning performed and the basis for the charge.
Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B)
““You never gave me a forwarding address, so I owe nothing.””
A missing forwarding address only forfeits the (C) penalty and attorney fees — it does not extinguish the deposit principal. The landlord must still return the deposit and any itemized balance; they just escape the extra 1x wrongfully-withheld amount.
Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B), (C)
““You owe damage beyond wear and tear.””
The landlord must identify and itemize the specific damage in the written notice and show it exceeds ordinary wear and tear. Ohio does not permit a deduction for ordinary wear and tear.
Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B) | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
| Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(C) | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
| Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(A) | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
| Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.06; § 2305.07(B) | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
Primary reference: Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16. 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:
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30 days, counted from the termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession. Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B).
A landlord who withholds in bad faith may be liable for 1x the portion wrongfully withheld. Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(C)
It runs from the termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession — the date you vacated and returned the keys, not the date your notice period began.
No — The small claims limit is $6,000 (exclusive of interest and costs). A deposit claim above that amount is filed in the court's regular civil division.