Security deposit return deadline in Ohio

In Ohio, a landlord has 30 days to return your security deposit.

Work out your Ohio deadline

Your move-out day — when the keys went back.

When the lease or agreement ended. Often the same day you moved out. Ohio counts from whichever of the two is later.

$

The part you have not had back. Ohio measures its penalty on this, not on the whole deposit.

Not legal advice. This is general information, not legal advice, and it is calculated only from the dates you entered. Whether a penalty applies is for a court to decide, not this site — and your landlord may dispute the dates or the reason for any deduction. Deadlines and penalties change and vary by jurisdiction. Verify with the cited statute or consult a licensed attorney in your state before you rely on any of this.

What Ohio law requires

  • 30 days to return the deposit, counted from whichever is later: the day the tenancy ended, or the day you handed back the property.

    The clock runs 30 days from “termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession.” Both must have happened, so it starts on whichever is later.

    5321.16(B)

Do you have to give a forwarding address?

The statute provides: “If the tenant fails to provide the landlord with the forwarding or new address as required, the tenant shall not be entitled to damages or attorneys fees under division (C).” The 30-day deadline still runs either way — only the damages and fees remedy under (C) is lost, not your underlying right to the refund.

What to do next

  1. Write it down. Put the date you handed back the property and the date your tenancy ended in one place. Every deadline on this page is counted from one of those.
  2. Ask in writing. Email is fine and it timestamps itself. Say what you are asking for, cite the subsection above, and give a date by which you expect a reply.
  3. Keep the receipt. If you post a letter, pay for tracking. It costs a few dollars and it is the difference between "I sent it" and proof that you did. You do not need to buy a service to do this — the post office will.

There is a longer walkthrough, including what an itemised statement should contain and when small claims is worth it, in what to do if your landlord won't return your deposit.