Alabama security deposit law: know your rights.
Understand the return, deduction and notice rules in Alabama. Check which conditions apply to your rental, then choose your next step.
Your deposit rights in Alabama
- Return timing
- Refund (or balance with an itemized written notice) due within 60 days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession; no tenant demand required.
- Accounting for deductions
- If not refunding the entire deposit, an itemized list of all amounts withheld is required within the 60-day period (§ 35-9A-201(b),(c)).
- Deposit interest
- The state deposit statute does not require interest. Check any additional lease or local rule.
Registry review: August 2026. Review dates refer to the cited rules, not an attorney review of your case.
Does this rule apply to your rental?
Check the type of tenancy, the lease and any local or housing-program rules before relying on the statewide summary.
Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 ↗What starts the return clock?
Refund (or balance with an itemized written notice) due within 60 days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession; no tenant demand required.
Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 ↗Check your return timing
Optional estimate from your move-out date. Read the start conditions above before treating that estimate as the return deadline. You can start the free analysis without completing this check.
Check what the landlord deducted
No receipts or documentation requirement in the statute; deductions limited to accrued rent and damages from tenant noncompliance, itemized in writing.
Match each charge to the work alleged, the lease provision and the records supporting the amount. Keep refunds and charges you accept separate from those you dispute.
Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 ↗What could you recover?
Mandatory: 'the landlord shall pay the tenant double the amount of the tenant's original deposit' for failure to mail a timely refund or accounting (§ 35-9A-201(f)).
Start with the unpaid amount you dispute. Any additional statutory recovery depends on the conditions in Ala. Code § 35-9A-201(f), including applicable notice requirements. A multiplier that already includes the deposit should not be added to that deposit again.
Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 ↗Put the rules to work
See how the rules fit your deposit dispute
Free analysis
Add the refund, charges and records. Review the deductions and possible remedies with an explanation tied to your facts.
Full case package $29-$49
Turn your case into a demand letter, organized exhibits and a next-step plan. Review the analysis before deciding to buy.
Your entered dates and deposit amount carry forward. Additional timing details are saved in case notes. The next step asks for the refund and charges so you can build on this check.
Choose your next step
Small-claims limit: $6,000. Filing: ~$55-$100 by county and claim size. The court guide explains the applicable limits and additional costs.
Questions about Alabama deposit rights
How long does a Alabama landlord have to return a security deposit?
Refund (or balance with an itemized written notice) due within 60 days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession; no tenant demand required.
Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 ↗See the timing rules →What happens if my landlord does not follow the deposit return rules in Alabama?
Failure to mail a timely refund or accounting within 60 days means the landlord shall pay the tenant double the amount of the original deposit (§ 35-9A-201(f)); the penalty is mandatory, with no bad-faith element. The statute does not expressly strip the landlord of the right to withhold - the double-deposit payment is the remedy. Keep proof of the dates, any refund, and the itemized statement.
Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 ↗Understand the possible recovery →What accounting should I ask for in Alabama?
If not refunding the entire deposit, an itemized list of all amounts withheld is required within the 60-day period (§ 35-9A-201(b),(c)). No receipts or documentation requirement in the statute; deductions limited to accrued rent and damages from tenant noncompliance, itemized in writing.
Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 ↗