Kentucky security deposit law: know your rights.
Understand the return, deduction and notice rules in Kentucky. Check which conditions apply to your rental, then choose your next step.
Your deposit rights in Kentucky
- Return timing
- Nothing to wait out: Kentucky sets no flat return deadline, so you can demand the deposit back now. Mechanics: the landlord must give a final itemized damage listing at termination and may apply the deposit to unpaid rent after 30 days. If a refund notice arrives, respond within 60 days - the demand letter is exactly that response - or the landlord may keep the deposit.
- Accounting for deductions
- Two listings: a move-in comprehensive listing of existing damage with estimated costs (before the deposit is tendered) and a final move-out itemized listing - each with inspection, signature, and written-dissent rights. The deposit must sit in a separate dedicated account with the bank and account number disclosed.
- 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?
Kentucky's deposit statute is part of the URLTA, which applies only in cities and counties that have adopted it in its entirety by local ordinance - including Louisville/Jefferson County, Lexington/Fayette County, Covington, Newport, Florence, Georgetown, Shelbyville, and Oldham and Pulaski counties, among others. If your rental is outside one of these jurisdictions, there is no statutory deposit law and your remedies are based on your lease.
Is the rental in a city or county that has adopted the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA)?
URLTA jurisdictions include Louisville/Jefferson County, Lexington-Fayette, Covington, Newport, Florence, Georgetown, Shelbyville, and Oldham and Pulaski counties, among others. Not sure? Check with your city or county clerk - or answer No and the demand will rest on your lease instead of the statute.
Outside URLTA jurisdictions Kentucky has no statutory security-deposit law, so no statute is cited: the demand rests on your lease and general contract law. The landlord still has to justify every deduction, and small claims court still hears the case.
What starts the return clock?
Nothing to wait out: Kentucky sets no flat return deadline, so you can demand the deposit back now. Mechanics: the landlord must give a final itemized damage listing at termination and may apply the deposit to unpaid rent after 30 days. If a refund notice arrives, respond within 60 days - the demand letter is exactly that response - or the landlord may keep the deposit.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580 (URLTA - adopted jurisdictions only, KRS 383.500) ↗Check the rules for your situation
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
Estimated repair costs on the listings; no receipts requirement.
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.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580 (URLTA - adopted jurisdictions only, KRS 383.500) ↗What could you recover?
No multiplier and no flat penalty - the sole statutory consequence is forfeiture of the right to withhold (full refund). Some websites claim '2x damages' for Kentucky - the statute has no such provision.
Start with the unpaid amount you dispute. Any additional statutory recovery depends on the conditions in Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580 (URLTA - adopted jurisdictions only, KRS 383.500), including applicable notice requirements.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580 (URLTA - adopted jurisdictions only, KRS 383.500) ↗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: $2,500. Filing: ~$25-$60 (confirm at kycourts.gov). The court guide explains the applicable limits and additional costs.
Questions about Kentucky deposit rights
How long does a Kentucky landlord have to return a security deposit?
Nothing to wait out: Kentucky sets no flat return deadline, so you can demand the deposit back now. Mechanics: the landlord must give a final itemized damage listing at termination and may apply the deposit to unpaid rent after 30 days. If a refund notice arrives, respond within 60 days - the demand letter is exactly that response - or the landlord may keep the deposit.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580 (URLTA - adopted jurisdictions only, KRS 383.500) ↗See the timing rules →What happens if my landlord does not follow the deposit return rules in Kentucky?
Forfeiture: the landlord may not retain any portion if the deposit wasn't in the required separate account or the listings weren't provided (§ 383.580(4)). Tenant suits are limited to items specifically dissented to (§ 383.580(5)). Keep proof of the dates, any refund, and the itemized statement.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580 (URLTA - adopted jurisdictions only, KRS 383.500) ↗Understand the possible recovery →Which coverage conditions should I check in Kentucky?
Kentucky's deposit statute is part of the URLTA, which applies only in cities and counties that have adopted it in its entirety by local ordinance - including Louisville/Jefferson County, Lexington/Fayette County, Covington, Newport, Florence, Georgetown, Shelbyville, and Oldham and Pulaski counties, among others. If your rental is outside one of these jurisdictions, there is no statutory deposit law and your remedies are based on your lease. URLTA jurisdictions include Louisville/Jefferson County, Lexington-Fayette, Covington, Newport, Florence, Georgetown, Shelbyville, and Oldham and Pulaski counties, among others. Not sure? Check with your city or county clerk - or answer No and the demand will rest on your lease instead of the statute. Outside URLTA jurisdictions Kentucky has no statutory security-deposit law, so no statute is cited: the demand rests on your lease and general contract law. The landlord still has to justify every deduction, and small claims court still hears the case.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580 (URLTA - adopted jurisdictions only, KRS 383.500) ↗What accounting should I ask for in Kentucky?
Two listings: a move-in comprehensive listing of existing damage with estimated costs (before the deposit is tendered) and a final move-out itemized listing - each with inspection, signature, and written-dissent rights. The deposit must sit in a separate dedicated account with the bank and account number disclosed. Estimated repair costs on the listings; no receipts requirement.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580 (URLTA - adopted jurisdictions only, KRS 383.500) ↗