Louisiana Security Deposit Return Rules Explained

Louisiana Revised Statutes § 9:3251 sets the rule for returning a residential security deposit after a lease ends. The landlord must return the deposit, except for amounts reasonably necessary to remedy a tenant default or unreasonable wear to the premises.

Louisiana Revised Statutes § 9:3252 covers what can follow when a landlord willfully fails to comply with § 9:3251.

The Legislature amended § 9:3251 in 2026 through Act 63 (House Bill 292), effective August 1, 2026. The amendment extended only the deadline for the itemized statement. The one-month deadline to return the deposit did not change. Older guides may still show the shorter statement deadline.

This article is general education, not legal advice. It summarizes the official statute text cited in the sources. Read it yourself, and consult a qualified Louisiana professional if you need an interpretation or have a dispute.

For your own deposit amount and terms, rely on your signed lease. General pages on this site are not the source of truth for any one unit's deposit. This guide stays on the move-out side of the process. For move-in photos and condition records, see the related article on move-in documentation and Louisiana deposits.

Under § 9:3251, the landlord must return the deposit within one month after the lease terminates, except for amounts the statute allows the landlord to keep.

If the landlord keeps any portion of the deposit, the statute requires an itemized statement. The statement must account for the amount retained and give the reasons. The landlord must forward it within one month after the tenancy terminates, or within 15 days after that one-month date. In practice, that allows up to about one month and 15 days for the statement.

The deposit refund and the statement can therefore arrive at different times. A refund is due within one month. A statement explaining deductions can come up to 15 days later.

That gives you two things to track: the refund and the statement. Write down your lease end date. When anything arrives from management, write down the date you received it and how it came. A partial refund with no explanation is a gap worth recording.

Section 9:3251 puts a duty on the tenant. At the end of the lease, you must give the landlord a forwarding address where the deposit and any itemized statement may be sent.

Do this in writing and keep proof that you sent it. A complete written address gives management a destination for deposit correspondence. Postal forwarding alone is not a substitute for direct notice. If your address changes later, send an update the same way and keep a copy of each notice with its date.

Check your lease for notice requirements before you send a move-out notice, a forwarding address, or a refund demand. If the lease is unclear about how to deliver a notice, ask before you send it. Current residents use the Buildium Resident Center for account and maintenance matters. Prospective renters can use the contact form, but should not put sensitive identity or financial details in it.

Under § 9:3251, a landlord may retain only the portion of a deposit reasonably necessary to remedy a tenant default or unreasonable wear to the rented premises. Two phrases carry the weight: "reasonably necessary" and "unreasonable wear." A deduction should connect to a real cost for a real problem.

When a statement arrives, check it against the statute's requirements. Ask these questions:

If the deposit is late, or the deductions look unsupported, you can send a written demand for the refund. Keep a copy and proof of delivery. Follow any notice requirements in your lease.

Section 9:3252 matters here. Failure to remit the deposit within 30 days after the tenant makes a written demand for a refund constitutes willful failure under that statute.

That makes the date of your demand important. Write the date on your copy, and note the date of any reply. Keep every itemized statement and any response in one place.

This is a summary of the cited statute, not legal advice. Read § 9:3252 yourself, and consult a qualified Louisiana professional before you decide how to send a demand.

Under § 9:3252, a landlord's willful failure to comply with § 9:3251 can entitle the tenant to the wrongfully retained deposit amount plus $300 or twice the wrongfully retained amount, whichever is greater.

The same statute allows a tenant to file the action in the parish of the landlord's domicile or in the parish where the rental property is located. For a Monroe rental, the property sits in Ouachita Parish, so a qualifying recovery action may be brought there.

This section is general information, not legal advice. Whether a landlord's failure was willful, and how much was wrongfully retained, depend on the facts and on exact statutory wording. Read both statutes on the Louisiana Legislature site and consult a qualified Louisiana professional before you file anything.

Two limits apply under § 9:3251. First, the return rule does not apply when a tenant abandons the premises without giving the required notice or before the lease terminates. Notice and lease end dates therefore matter. Second, if the landlord's interest in the rental property is transferred during the lease, the transferor must transfer the deposit to the successor. The successor then becomes responsible for returning it at the end of the tenancy.

For a deposit dispute, a complete paper trail helps. Keep these items together in a place you can reach after you leave the unit: