Quick answer: Kentucky’s deposit section does not set a deadline for returning a security deposit. It sets two waiting periods instead: a landlord may apply a deposit to the last month’s rent thirty days after the tenant leaves owing it without asking for the deposit, and a landlord that sends a refund notice may keep the deposit if the tenant does not respond within sixty days. A landlord that did not use a separate account and did not give signed damage listings may keep nothing.
This Kentucky security deposit calculator applies KRS 383.580. Choose the situation, enter the date, and it shows the earliest day the landlord may apply the deposit, or the last day the tenant has to answer a refund notice. It does not decide whether a charge is allowed, and the section governs only where the act has been adopted.
Kentucky security deposit rules at a glance
| Rule | What Kentucky says |
|---|---|
| Return deadline | None: the section sets no date for returning a deposit (KRS 383.580) |
| Where it applies | Cities, counties and urban-county governments that adopted the act (KRS 383.500) |
| Separate account | All deposits go in an account used only for that purpose, and the tenant is told where and the account number (383.580(1)) |
| Damage listings | A signed move-in list before payment and a signed move-out list (383.580(2), (3)) |
| Forfeiture | No separate account and no listings: the landlord keeps nothing (383.580(4)) |
| Last month unpaid | The landlord may apply the deposit after 30 days if the tenant does not demand it (383.580(6)) |
| Refund due | Notice to the last known address; no answer in 60 days, the landlord may keep it (383.580(7)) |
| Counting | First day excluded; a weekend or holiday last day moves on (KRS 446.030) |
How does the Kentucky deposit law work?
- The 30- and 60-day waits. See what Kentucky says about getting a security deposit back.
- The signed damage listings. See Kentucky move-in and move-out damage listings.
- The separate account, forfeiture and suing. See Kentucky deposit forfeiture and disputes.
What does this deposit calculator check?
It adds 30 days, or 60 days for a refund notice, to the date you enter, does not count the first day and moves a last day that is a Saturday, Sunday or holiday to the next open day, as KRS 446.030 provides. It then shows the day after, when the landlord may act. It does not know whether the tenant asked for the deposit in writing or whether a notice was received. How much a landlord may collect is a separate question: see the Kentucky security deposit limit calculator.
Related Kentucky landlord-tenant calculators
These four calculators cover the same tenancy from different angles. From here you can go to the Kentucky security deposit limit calculator for the most a landlord may ask for as a deposit, the Kentucky eviction notice calculator for the notice period before a lease can end and the Kentucky eviction timeline calculator for the earliest legal dates once an eviction case starts. Each one cites its own Kentucky statutes and shows only what the law says.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Kentucky landlord have to return a security deposit?
The deposit section sets no return deadline. It sets a 30-day wait before a landlord may apply a deposit to unpaid last-month rent and a 60-day wait for a response to a refund notice.
What if I leave owing the last month’s rent?
If you do not ask for the deposit, the landlord may apply it to the debt after thirty days.
What if a refund is due?
The landlord sends notice of the amount to your last known address; if you do not respond within sixty days it may keep the deposit.
When can a landlord keep nothing?
When it did not hold the deposit in a separate account and did not provide the initial and final damage listings.
Does the deposit section apply everywhere in Kentucky?
Only in cities and counties that adopted the act, such as Louisville-Jefferson County and Lexington-Fayette County.
Does a Kentucky landlord pay interest on a deposit?
The deposit section does not mention interest.