Quick answer: A Louisiana lessor must return a residential security deposit within one month after the lease terminates, and if it keeps any part it must send an itemized statement with the reasons within one month or within 15 days after that. A tenant who sends a written demand and is not paid within 30 days can recover the part wrongfully kept plus the larger of $300 or twice that amount.
This Louisiana security deposit return deadline calculator applies La. R.S. 9:3251 and 9:3252. Enter the date the lease terminated and, if you have sent one, the date of your written demand: it shows the return date, the extra 15 days for the statement, the date a failure becomes willful and what a wrongly kept amount costs. It does not decide whether a deduction is allowed.
Louisiana security deposit return rules at a glance
| Rule | What Louisiana says |
|---|---|
| Return the deposit | Within one month after the lease terminates (La. R.S. 9:3251(A)) |
| Itemized statement | Within one month, or within 15 days after that date (9:3251(A), as amended in 2026) |
| What may be kept | What is reasonably necessary to remedy a default or unreasonable wear (9:3251(A)) |
| Forwarding address | The tenant gives one at the end of the lease (9:3251(A)) |
| Willful failure | No payment within 30 days after written demand (9:3252(A)) |
| Damages | The part wrongfully kept plus the larger of $300 or twice that part (9:3252(A)) |
| Fees | The court may award costs and attorney’s fees to the prevailing party (9:3253) |
| Counting | Weekends and holidays move the last day (C.C.P. 5059) |
How does the Louisiana deposit return deadline work?
- The one-month deadline and the extra 15 days. See how long a lessor has to return a security deposit in Louisiana.
- What can be kept, and the itemized statement. See Louisiana security deposit deductions.
- The forwarding address, the demand and suing. See the Louisiana demand and penalty rules for deposits.
What does this deposit calculator check?
It adds one calendar month to the date the lease terminated and moves a date that is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday to the next day that is not one, as C.C.P. 5059 and R.S. 1:55 provide. It then adds the 15 days the amendment allows for the statement, and, if you enter a demand date, the 30 days that make a failure willful. It does not know when a statement was mailed or whether the tenant abandoned the premises. Check the dates against your own records and keep proof of each one. How much a lessor may collect is a separate question: see the Louisiana security deposit limit calculator.
Related Louisiana landlord-tenant calculators
These four calculators cover the same tenancy from different angles. From here you can go to the Louisiana security deposit limit calculator for the most a landlord may ask for as a deposit, the Louisiana eviction notice calculator for the notice period before a lease can end and the Louisiana eviction timeline calculator for the earliest legal dates once an eviction case starts. Each one cites its own Louisiana statutes and shows only what the law says.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Louisiana lessor have to return a security deposit?
Within one month after the lease terminates.
How long does it have to send an itemized statement?
Within one month after the tenancy terminates, or within 15 days after the date that is one month after it.
What can a lessor keep?
What is reasonably necessary to remedy a default of the tenant or to remedy unreasonable wear.
What if the lessor does not pay?
After a written demand and 30 days without payment, the failure is willful and the tenant can recover the amount wrongfully kept plus the larger of $300 or twice that amount.
Does the tenant have to give an address?
Yes, a forwarding address at the end of the lease.
Who owes the deposit if the building is sold?
The transferee is responsible for returning it at the end of the lease.