Security Deposit Return Deadlines & Deductions in Nevada
At a glance
| Governing law | NRS 118A.240, 118A.242 |
|---|---|
| Deadline to return the deposit | 30 days after termination of the tenancy |
| Itemized statement required? | Yes — an itemized written accounting of any deductions, delivered with the deposit balance within the same 30 days |
| What can be deducted | Unpaid rent; damage to the premises beyond normal wear caused by the tenant; reasonable cleaning costs. 'Normal wear' is separately defined as deterioration without negligence, carelessness, or abuse by the tenant, a household member, or a consented guest. |
| Maximum deposit amount | 3 months' periodic rent, combining any security deposit, surety bond, and last month's rent — a flat cap with no furnished/unfurnished distinction in the statute's own text |
| Interest on the deposit? | No interest required |
| Penalty for a late/bad-faith withholding | If the landlord fails or refuses to return the balance within 30 days: liable for (a) the entire security deposit, plus (b) a court-fixed sum of up to another full deposit, considering the landlord's good faith, the parties' course of conduct, and the degree of harm to the tenant — up to 2x the deposit total, but the extra amount is discretionary, not automatic |
| Separate account or bond required? | No segregated or interest-bearing account, or bond, is required of the landlord (a tenant may elect to substitute a surety bond for part of the deposit only with the landlord's consent). The tenant's claim to the deposit outranks any claim of the landlord's creditors. |
Requirements one by one
Governing law
Nevada's security-deposit rules sit in NRS 118A.240 (definitions) and NRS 118A.242 (the operative cap, return, and penalty rules), part of the state's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.
Deadline to return the deposit
The clock is 30 days from when the tenancy ends — the statute doesn't tie it to when the landlord separately receives a forwarding address the way some other states do. "The landlord shall provide the tenant with an itemized, written accounting of the disposition of the security deposit or surety bond... and return any remaining portion of the security deposit to the tenant no later than 30 days after the termination of the tenancy." (§ 118A.242(4)).
Itemized statement required?
Yes. The same 30-day deadline that governs the refund also governs the itemized written accounting — both are due together, not on separate timelines.
What can be deducted
A landlord may claim only amounts "reasonably necessary" for a tenant's unpaid rent, damage to the premises "other than normal wear" caused by the tenant, and reasonable cleaning costs (§ 118A.242(4)). Nevada separately defines the phrase that matters most for a damage dispute:
“Normal wear” means that deterioration which occurs without negligence, carelessness or abuse of the premises, equipment or chattels by the tenant, a member of the tenant's household or other person on the premises with the tenant's consent.
That definition appears in § 118A.110.
Maximum deposit amount
Nevada caps the combined total at three months' rent: "The landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit or a surety bond, or a combination thereof, including the last month's rent, whose total amount or value exceeds 3 months' periodic rent." (§ 118A.242(1)). That's one flat number — the statute doesn't set a lower cap for furnished units or any other category.
Interest on the deposit?
No. Nevada's statute doesn't require a landlord to pay interest on a held deposit.
Penalty for a late/bad-faith withholding
Missing the 30-day deadline triggers a two-part remedy. First, the landlord owes back "an amount equal to the entire security deposit" (§ 118A.242(6)(a)) — the full deposit, regardless of what deductions might otherwise have been justified. Second, a court can add "a sum... of not more than the amount of the entire security deposit" (§ 118A.242(6)(b)) — up to doubling the total recovery — but that second amount isn't automatic. The court weighs "whether the landlord acted in good faith," "the course of conduct between the landlord and the tenant," and "the degree of harm to the tenant caused by the landlord's conduct" (§ 118A.242(7)) before deciding how much, if anything, to add.
Separate account or bond required?
No escrow, trust, or bonding requirement is imposed on the landlord. Nevada's only bond mechanism runs the other way: a tenant may choose to substitute a surety bond for part of the deposit, but only if the landlord agrees to it — the landlord can't require it, and doesn't have to accept it. Whatever the deposit's form, "the claim of a tenant to a security deposit... takes precedence over the claim of any creditor of the landlord" (§ 118A.242(9)).
What trips people up
A lease can't call any part of the deposit non-refundable, except a reasonable cleaning charge. Nevada voids, as against public policy, any lease clause that tries to characterize a security deposit as non-refundable or that waives a tenant's rights under this statute — the one carve-out is a specifically-labeled, reasonable non-refundable cleaning fee (§ 118A.242(8)).
The extra damages beyond the deposit itself aren't guaranteed. Getting your deposit back after a missed deadline is automatic; getting a second award on top of it depends on the court weighing the landlord's good faith and the harm you suffered — document your correspondence and any actual losses to support that second award.
Selling or transferring the property doesn't erase your deposit. A landlord who transfers the property must either notify you of the successor landlord (who then takes on the deposit obligations) or return your deposit directly, and is only released from liability once one of those steps happens (§ 118A.244).
Common questions
My landlord never sent me anything after I moved out — what am I owed? Once 30 days pass with nothing sent, the landlord owes you the full deposit back at minimum. Whether a court adds more, up to a second full deposit's worth, depends on the landlord's good faith and the harm the delay caused you.
Does Nevada cap deposits differently for furnished units? No. Some online guides describe a lower cap for furnished rentals — the actual statute sets one flat three-months'-rent ceiling regardless of furnishing.
Do I get interest on my deposit? No. Nevada doesn't require a landlord to pay interest on a held deposit or keep it in a separate account.
Statutes and sources
- NRS 118A.240(1) — security deposit defined; permitted uses. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-118a.html#NRS118ASec240 (accessed 2026-07-06)
- NRS 118A.242(1) — 3-month combined deposit cap. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-118a.html#NRS118ASec242 (accessed 2026-07-06)
- NRS 118A.242(4) — 30-day return/itemization deadline and permitted deductions. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-118a.html#NRS118ASec242 (accessed 2026-07-06)
- NRS 118A.242(6) — full-deposit-plus-discretionary-sum penalty for a missed deadline. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-118a.html#NRS118ASec242 (accessed 2026-07-06)
- NRS 118A.242(7) — factors for the discretionary added sum. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-118a.html#NRS118ASec242 (accessed 2026-07-06)
- NRS 118A.242(8) — bar on nonrefundable/waiver lease provisions. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-118a.html#NRS118ASec242 (accessed 2026-07-06)
- NRS 118A.242(9) — tenant's priority over the landlord's creditors. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-118a.html#NRS118ASec242 (accessed 2026-07-06)
- NRS 118A.110 — "normal wear" defined. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-118a.html#NRS118ASec110 (accessed 2026-08-12)
- NRS 118A.244 — transfer-or-return duties and successor liability. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-118a.html#NRS118ASec244 (accessed 2026-08-12)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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