FREE DEADLINE CALCULATOR · FLA. STAT. 83.49
Florida security deposit deadline calculator
Florida gives your landlord 15 days to return your deposit, or 30 days to send a written claim notice (certified mail, or e-mail only under a signed e-mail notice addendum). Miss the 30 days and the landlord forfeits the right to keep any of it. Enter your move-out date and get the exact calendar dates, plus your own 15-day objection deadline if a notice came.
What day did you move out?
The day you handed back possession. Every deadline counts from here.
Did a written claim notice arrive (certified mail, or e-mail under a signed e-mail notice addendum)?
A letter saying the landlord intends to keep some or all of your deposit, and why.
What day did you receive it?
Estimates for Florida residential tenancies under Fla. Stat. 83.49. Not legal advice. Results are computed in your browser and are not stored.
How the Florida deadlines work
Day 15: full refund. If the landlord makes no claim against the deposit, the whole deposit is due back within 15 days after the lease ends. Fla. Stat. 83.49(3)(a).
Day 30: claim notice. To keep any of it, the landlord must send written notice within 30 days after the lease ends, by certified mail to your last known address or, only if you both signed an e-mail notice addendum under Fla. Stat. 83.505, by e-mail, stating the reason and telling you that you have 15 days to object. A landlord who misses this deadline forfeits the claim. Fla. Stat. 83.49(3)(a).
Plus 15 days: your objection. If a proper notice arrives, you have 15 days from receipt to object in writing. If you do not object, the landlord may deduct the claimed amount and must remit the balance within 30 days after the date of the notice. Fla. Stat. 83.49(3)(b).
Fee shifting. If either side sues over the deposit, the prevailing party recovers court costs and reasonable attorney fees. Fla. Stat. 83.49(3)(c). That is why a tenant with a strong deadline case can afford a lawyer.
Deadline questions tenants ask
How many days does a Florida landlord have to return a security deposit?
15 days after the lease ends (usually the day you move out) if the landlord makes no claim. If the landlord intends to keep some or all of it, a written claim notice must go out within 30 days after the lease ends, by certified mail or, only under a signed e-mail notice addendum, by e-mail. Fla. Stat. 83.49(3)(a), 83.505.
What if day 15 or day 30 falls on a weekend or holiday?
The statute counts calendar days and does not extend the deadline. This calculator does not extend it either. If a court later reads it more generously, that only helps the landlord by a day or two, so plan around the calendar date shown.
Does the clock start when I move out or when the lease ends?
Since July 1, 2025, the statute counts both deadlines from the termination of the rental agreement. For most tenants that is the day the lease ends and they move out. If you moved out early or late, the start date can be disputed, so treat the later of the two dates as the safe one and have a lawyer check the lease.
What happens if the landlord misses the 30-day claim notice?
The landlord forfeits the right to impose a claim on the deposit and may not set off against it. The full deposit is owed back. The landlord could still sue you separately for damages, but has to pay the deposit first. Fla. Stat. 83.49(3)(a).
Does the landlord have to use certified mail?
Certified mail to your last known mailing address, or, since July 1, 2025, e-mail, but only if you and the landlord both signed a separate e-mail notice addendum under Fla. Stat. 83.505. A text, a regular letter, or an e-mail without that signed addendum does not satisfy the statute.