To return a security deposit, get the tenant's forwarding address in writing, inspect the unit against the move-in record, price each deduction with an invoice or estimate, and send the refund with an itemized statement before your state's deadline. That deadline is 14 days in New York, 21 days in California, 30 days in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, and 45 days in Virginia. Florida runs two clocks: 15 days to refund in full, or 30 days to send a written claim. Missing the deadline in most of these states costs you the right to keep any part of the deposit.

Step 1: Get a forwarding address in writing

Ask for the address in writing before the tenant leaves, in your reply to the move-out notice and again at the final walkthrough. The address controls where the money goes and, in some states, when the clock starts:

Texas: the refund is due by the 30th day after the tenant surrenders the unit, but you do not have to refund or itemize until the tenant gives you a written forwarding address. A tenant who never sends one does not forfeit the deposit.
Pennsylvania: a tenant who does not give you a new address in writing at the end of the lease loses the deposit statute's remedies against you, including double damages.
Virginia: send the refund to the forwarding address. If there is none, you may keep holding the deposit, and after one year past the 45-day deadline you may send it to the State Treasurer as unclaimed property.
California: mail to the address the tenant gives you, or to the vacated unit if the tenant gives none.
Florida: a tenant leaving early or ending a periodic tenancy must give you 7 days' written notice with an address, unless the lease says otherwise. Your claim notice goes to the last known mailing address.

If the tenant paid rent or the deposit electronically in California, also ask for a bank account. Since January 1, 2026, you must refund electronically to an account the tenant names in writing, unless you both agree in writing to another method, and you must tell the tenant of that right in writing.

Step 2: Inspect the unit against the move-in record

Walk the unit promptly after possession is returned, following your state's inspection notice rules, with the signed move-in checklist and photos in hand. Record each problem by room, item, and size, and photograph it. California requires photos after the tenant returns possession, before any repair or cleaning you will deduct for, and again after that work is done. Where no photo rule applies, dated photos are still your best evidence. How to build the starting record is covered in whether a move-in inspection is required, and the moving-day steps are in the procedure for moving out.

In Virginia, give written notice of the tenant's right to attend the inspection when you ask them to vacate or within five days after receiving their notice to vacate. If the tenant asks in writing to attend, notify them of the inspection's date and time. Inspect within 72 hours after possession is returned.

Two states add an earlier visit. In California and New York, you must tell the tenant in writing that they can request a pre-move-out inspection. California's can be held no earlier than two weeks before the tenancy ends, with at least 48 hours' written notice of the date and time unless you and the tenant both sign a written waiver. New York's must fall one to two weeks before the end, with 48 hours' written notice. The tenant can then fix the listed items before leaving to avoid those charges.

Step 3: Price each deduction

Separate the list into items you may charge and items that are normal wear and tear, using the categories in what security deposits are usually used for. Then put a documented number on each chargeable item:

Contractor work: a copy of the invoice or receipt, or a written estimate if the work is not done yet.
Your own labor: a description of the work, the time spent, and a reasonable hourly rate. California and Washington require this when you or your employees do the repair.
Materials: the receipt for the parts.

California requires these documents with the statement when repair and cleaning deductions total more than $125. If a repair you or your employee will do cannot reasonably be finished within 21 days, you may deduct a good-faith estimate and include it with the initial itemized statement. Send the final itemized statement, required supporting documents, and any additional refund due within 14 calendar days after the work is done. Washington requires copies of estimates or paid invoices for every damage charge. Massachusetts requires written evidence of each repair cost, such as estimates, bills, invoices, or receipts.

Step 4: Write the itemized statement

An itemized statement is the written list of what you kept and why. Include:

The tenant's name, the unit address, and the move-out date.
The deposit amount and any interest owed. New Jersey requires the interest to be itemized.
Each deduction on its own line: the item and location, the reason, and the dollar amount.
The supporting invoices, estimates, or labor records, and any photos your state requires.
The total deducted and the balance refunded, or the amount the tenant still owes if charges exceed the deposit.

Some states set the form. In Massachusetts, the list of damage must be sworn to "under the pains and penalties of perjury." In Florida, you do not send a statement first; you send a notice of intention to impose a claim, in the wording the statute prints, and allow 15 days from the tenant's receipt of the notice for a written objection. If the tenant does not object within that period, you may deduct the claim.

Step 5: Meet the state deadline

State	Deadline for refund and statement	Clock starts
New York	14 days	Tenant vacates
Florida	15 days to refund in full, or 30 days to mail a claim notice; balance due within 30 days after the notice if the tenant does not object	Rental agreement ends and tenant vacates
California	21 calendar days	Tenant vacates
Massachusetts	30 days	Tenancy ends
New Jersey	30 days	Lease ends
Pennsylvania	30 days	Lease ends, or you accept surrender of the unit, whichever comes first
Texas	30 days, after a written forwarding address	Tenant surrenders the unit
Washington	30 days	Rental agreement ends and tenant vacates, or you learn the unit was abandoned
Virginia	45 days	Tenancy ends or tenant vacates, whichever is later

Count calendar days from the event in the right-hand column. A tenant who vacates on June 10 in New York must have the statement and balance by June 24.

Step 6: Deliver the refund and statement

Use the delivery method your state names, and keep proof of the date:

New Jersey: personal delivery, or registered or certified mail, for both the refund and the itemized list. Regular first-class mail does not meet the statute.
Florida: certified mail to the last known mailing address, or email if you and the tenant signed the state's email notice addendum.
Washington: personal delivery, or first-class mail with postage prepaid to the last known address.
California: the statement by personal delivery or first-class mail, or by email if you both agree. The refund by personal delivery or check, or electronically as described in Step 1. With several adult tenants, the default is one check payable to all of them.

Keep a copy of the statement, every attachment, and the mailing receipt. If the tenant disputes a charge, those records are your case; what to pay attention to when returning a security deposit covers the penalties for mistakes and how to answer a demand letter. Florida's claim notice wording and objection window are covered in Florida security deposit laws for landlords, and the start of the tenancy, when the deposit is first collected, is covered in how to help your tenant get set up.