Security Deposits and Utility Move-Out Refunds

Treat rental security deposits and utility balances as two recoveries. Landlords generally must return a deposit or send an itemized deduction statement within a state statutory window. Utilities owe final bills, deposits, and leftover credits on a separate timeline. Because landlord-tenant remedies are state-specific, use only the cited statute or agency page for that state.

• You moved out of a rental and have not received the deposit or an itemized statement
• You dispute cleaning or repair deductions that look like ordinary wear
• You closed electric, gas, water, trash, internet, or mobile accounts
• A refund check may have gone to a former address
• The landlord or property manager is no longer reachable

• A deposit that must be returned with or without interest under the cited state rule
• Improper deductions you can dispute with move-out photos
• Utility deposits, budget-billing credits, or solar credits left on a closed account
• An uncashed refund later reported as unclaimed property
• A mediation, housing-agency, or small-claims path after the statutory window

• Move-in documentation and condition checklist
• Move-out photographs and video
• Inspection request if the lease or state practice provides one
• Written forwarding address
• Itemized deduction statement compared with ordinary wear versus damage
• Cleaning and repair deductions challenged line by line
• Deposit-return deadline from the cited state source
• Interest requirements where the official page says interest is due
• Written demand after the deadline
• Mediation, regulator, and small-claims options on that state’s official page
• Roommate and joint-lease complications — one tenant’s demand may not cover all named tenants
• Landlord or manager no longer reachable — successor owner or unclaimed-property search

• Electricity, gas, water, and trash deposits
• Internet and mobile-service deposits
• Final bills and closed-account balances
• Budget-billing credits
• Solar or community-energy credits
• Equipment-return charges
• Refunds mailed to an old address
• State unclaimed-property follow-up for uncashed utility checks

• State where the unit or utility account was located. Selects the cited deadline
• Move-out date. Starts the statutory window
• Deposit type and approximate amount. Separates rent from utilities without account passwords
• Whether an itemized statement arrived. Changes the generated checklist

Do not paste complete bank-account numbers, utility-account passwords, or copies of your ID into MoneyPotential. Official complaints go on the agency site.

• Confirmed. You have a returned deposit, a posted utility credit, or a written agency or court determination.
• Likely. The cited deadline has passed without a lawful itemized statement, and you have photos plus a sent demand.
• Possible. Roommates, a new owner, or a missing forwarding address still need to be sorted out.
• Professional review. Illegal lockouts, large withheld deposits, or harassment belong with legal aid or a tenant attorney in that state.

• Ask the current property owner — deposits often transfer with a sale
• Search that state’s unclaimed-property portal for uncashed checks
• Request utility closed-account research even if the last bill showed zero
• Use the mediation or small-claims path printed on the official state page
• If the state is not in the table, verify the statute before quoting a deadline

Only the cited state sources above are treated as verified. Other states must be checked on that state’s attorney general, statute, court, or housing-agency page before you rely on a day count. Utility refund timing follows the provider tariff or commission rule, not the landlord statute. Last verified: August 2026.

• Ignore texts that ask you to “confirm a utility refund” by logging into a lookalike site.
• Enter account numbers only on the official utility or court site.
• MoneyPotential will not ask for a routing number to process a deposit return.

• California. Civil Code § 1950.5 — generally 21 days after vacating to return the deposit or an itemized statement. Confirm the current DCA publication.
• New York. NY Attorney General tenant-rights guidance — generally 14 days after the tenant vacates for return and itemization. Confirm the current AG page.
• Texas. Texas Property Code Chapter 92 — generally 30 days after surrender plus a forwarding address. Confirm the current statute or AG renter page.
• Florida. Florida Statutes § 83.49 — 15 days to return if no claim, or 30 days to notice a claim. Confirm the current statute text.
• Illinois. State and Chicago ordinances differ. Use Illinois Legal Aid or the local housing page that applies to the unit.