Security deposit interest in Louisiana
No — Louisiana does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits.
There is no interest to calculate — here is what does apply
Louisiana sets no interest requirement, so there is no figure to work out. The rules below are the ones that decide whether you get your deposit back in full, which is usually the larger sum anyway.
Deadline to return your deposit
30 days after the tenancy ends.
Miss it and the consequences below start to apply.
What to do next
- Give your landlord a written forwarding address. Several states make the return duty conditional on it, and Louisiana's rules are summarised below.
- Photograph the unit at move-out, dated, before you hand back the keys. The dispute is almost always about condition.
- If the deadline passes, put the request in writing and cite La. Rev. Stat. Sec. 9:3251. Keep a copy of what you sent and when.
Not legal advice. This is general information, not legal advice. Security deposit laws change and vary by jurisdiction. Verify with the cited statute or consult a licensed attorney in your state before taking action.
What does Louisiana law actually say?
Louisiana does not require landlords to pay interest on residential security deposits. The statute contains no interest provision, imposes no escrow or separate account requirement, and sets no cap on the deposit amount. Any advance or deposit furnished by a tenant to secure performance of a written or oral lease must be returned within one month after the lease terminates.
The landlord may retain any portion reasonably necessary to remedy a tenant default or unreasonable wear to the premises. Where any portion is retained the landlord must send the tenant an itemised statement accounting for the amounts kept and the reasons, within one month of termination or within fifteen days after that one-month point. The tenant must furnish a forwarding address at the end of the lease for these statements to be sent to.
Where the lessor transfers their interest during the lease term they must also transfer the deposit to their successor, who becomes responsible for returning it, and the transferor is then relieved of liability. The return requirement does not apply where the tenant abandons the premises without giving required notice or before the lease ends.
What if your landlord does not comply?
No interest obligation, so no interest penalty. Under Section 9:3252 a landlord who wilfully fails to comply is liable for actual damages, or 300 dollars, or twice the amount of the deposit wrongfully retained, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs. Failure to remit the deposit or the itemised statement within 30 days of written demand also creates liability.