Louisiana security deposit law: know your rights.
Understand the return, deduction and notice rules in Louisiana. Check which conditions apply to your rental, then choose your next step.
Your deposit rights in Louisiana
- Return timing
- Within one calendar month after the lease terminates. For terminations on or after August 1, 2026, Act 63 allows an additional 15 days to furnish the itemized retention statement; this does not extend the refund deadline.
- Accounting for deductions
- An itemized statement explains retained amounts. Act 63, effective August 1, 2026, allows an additional 15 days after the one-month period for furnishing that statement. Check the applicable version for earlier tenancies.
- 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.
La. Rev. Stat. §§ 9:3251-9:3253 (Lessee's Deposit Act) ↗What starts the return clock?
Within one calendar month after the lease terminates. For terminations on or after August 1, 2026, Act 63 allows an additional 15 days to furnish the itemized retention statement; this does not extend the refund deadline.
In Louisiana the letter is the trigger: failing to remit within 30 days after your written demand is deemed willful, and willfulness is what unlocks damages under § 9:3252.
La. Rev. Stat. §§ 9:3251-9:3253 (Lessee's Deposit Act) ↗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 requirement; itemized statement with reasons only.
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.
La. Rev. Stat. §§ 9:3251-9:3253 (Lessee's Deposit Act) ↗What could you recover?
For willful failure the tenant recovers the wrongfully retained portion plus the greater of $300 or twice the amount wrongfully retained (§ 9:3252, as amended 2019). Costs and attorney fees at the court's discretion to the prevailing party (§ 9:3253, two-way).
Start with the unpaid amount you dispute. Any additional statutory recovery depends on the conditions in La. Rev. Stat. § 9:3252(A), including applicable notice requirements. A multiplier that already includes the deposit should not be added to that deposit again.
La. Rev. Stat. §§ 9:3251-9:3253 (Lessee's Deposit Act) ↗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: $5,000. Filing: ~$35-$150 by parish. The court guide explains the applicable limits and additional costs.
Questions about Louisiana deposit rights
How long does a Louisiana landlord have to return a security deposit?
Within one calendar month after the lease terminates. For terminations on or after August 1, 2026, Act 63 allows an additional 15 days to furnish the itemized retention statement; this does not extend the refund deadline.
La. Rev. Stat. §§ 9:3251-9:3253 (Lessee's Deposit Act) ↗See the timing rules →What happens if my landlord does not follow the deposit return rules in Louisiana?
Damages under § 9:3252 attach on willful failure - and failure to remit within 30 days after the tenant's written demand is deemed willful per se. Keep proof of the dates, any refund, and the itemized statement.
La. Rev. Stat. §§ 9:3251-9:3253 (Lessee's Deposit Act) ↗Understand the possible recovery →What accounting should I ask for in Louisiana?
An itemized statement explains retained amounts. Act 63, effective August 1, 2026, allows an additional 15 days after the one-month period for furnishing that statement. Check the applicable version for earlier tenancies. No receipts requirement; itemized statement with reasons only.
La. Rev. Stat. §§ 9:3251-9:3253 (Lessee's Deposit Act) ↗