When Must a Florida Landlord Return Your Security Deposit?

The Florida rule in one table

What makes Florida different

Florida runs on two tracks, and the track is the landlord's choice: return the deposit (with interest, if your lease or local rules require it) within 15 days of you vacating, OR send the certified-mail claim notice within 30 days. Miss the second track's deadline and the claim on the deposit is gone entirely — that forfeiture is the tenant's strongest lever in Florida.

The move-out process, step by step

1. Your clock starts from when you vacate the premises at the end of the lease. Everything in Florida is counted from that date — note it, and keep proof of when you handed back possession (photos of the empty unit, a signed move-out form, or the key-return receipt).
2. Give a forwarding address in writing. Some states make this a formal trigger for the landlord's duty; everywhere, the landlord can only mail the statement and any refund to an address they have. Email counts in most leases — written and kept beats verbal and lost.
3. Count the deadline: 15 days to return it, or 30 days to send a claim notice. Mark the calendar date. The landlord's obligation is to send by that date in most states — delivery or mailing by the deadline is what the statutes measure.
4. Read the statement against the statute. Florida does not require a formal itemized statement. What it requires is a written notice of intention to impose a claim, sent by certified mail to your last known address, stating the amount of the claim and the reason for it, in substantially the form the statute prints.
5. If the deadline passes with nothing, the penalty rules switch on. There is no multiplier in the statute. A landlord who misses the 30-day notice deadline forfeits the right to impose any claim on the deposit at all — though they can still sue separately for damages after returning it. In a court fight over the deposit, the prevailing party recovers court costs and a reasonable attorney's fee.

If your landlord missed the deadline

You have 15 days after receiving the claim notice to object — object in writing. If the landlord deducts anyway, the remedy is a court action under § 83.49(3)(c), where the winner's fees are paid by the loser.

Before you file anything, run your dates through the Security Deposit Deadline Calculator — enter your state and move-out date and it returns the exact calendar deadline and the penalty rule that applies. Then compare your state with the other seven in the Security Deposit Return Deadlines by State directory.

Renting in a different state next? The rules change completely at the border: see Texas and Florida for the two most different systems in this set, or your own state's page from the directory.

If the deadline has passed, send a written demand first, then file in small claims if it fails: How to Write a Security Deposit Demand Letter and How to File a Small Claims Case for a Withheld Deposit in Florida.

Source

Every deadline, cap, and penalty on this page comes from the statute itself: Florida Statutes § 83.49 (Online Sunshine). Facts verified 2026-10-23.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice — for a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your state labor or consumer agency.