Ohio: Security Deposit Return Deadlines & Deductions

Requirements one by one

Governing law

Ohio's entire deposit scheme lives in one section, Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 ("Procedures for security deposits"), part of the state's Landlord-Tenant Act. It cross-references § 5321.05 for what counts as a tenant's own noncompliance that can justify a deduction.

Deadline to return the deposit

The clock is 30 days, but it only starts once two things have both happened: "Upon termination of the rental agreement any property or money held by the landlord as a security deposit may be applied to the payment of past due rent and to the payment of the amount of damages that the landlord has suffered... Any deduction from the security deposit shall be itemized and identified by the landlord in a written notice delivered to the tenant together with the amount due, within thirty days after termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession." (§ 5321.16(B)). Unlike some states, Ohio doesn't give a separate, longer fallback deadline if the landlord withholds nothing — the same 30 days covers both the itemized notice (if withholding) and the payment of whatever's due.

Itemized statement required?

Yes, for any amount the landlord withholds. The written notice has to be itemized and delivered together with the balance due, inside the same 30-day window. There's a condition on your end, too: "The tenant shall provide the landlord in writing with a forwarding address or new address to which the written notice and amount due from the landlord may be sent. 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) of this section." (§ 5321.16(B)).

What can be deducted

The statute authorizes using the deposit for "past due rent" and for "damages that the landlord has suffered by reason of the tenant's noncompliance with section 5321.05 of the Revised Code or the rental agreement" (§ 5321.16(B)). Section 5321.05 spells out the tenant's own statutory duties, including a duty not to "intentionally or negligently destroy[], deface[], damage[], or remove[] any fixture, appliance, or other part of the premises" (§ 5321.05(A)(6)). Worth knowing precisely: neither § 5321.16 nor § 5321.05 ever uses the words "normal wear and tear" or "reasonable wear and tear" — that phrase is common in secondary guides describing Ohio's rule, but it isn't part of the statutory text itself.

Maximum deposit amount

None. Ohio's statute doesn't set any dollar or months'-rent ceiling on how much a landlord can require as a security deposit.

Interest on the deposit?

Yes, but only above a threshold and only for longer tenancies. Interest applies to "any security deposit in excess of fifty dollars or one month's periodic rent, whichever is greater," and only "if the tenant remains in possession of the premises for six months or more." Where it applies, the rate is a flat "five per cent per annum," "computed and paid annually by the landlord to the tenant" (§ 5321.16(A)). The statute's own text doesn't tie this rate to any other index, formula, or state agency's published rate — it's simply 5%.

Penalty for a late/bad-faith withholding

"If the landlord fails to comply with division (B) of this section, the tenant may recover the property and money due him, together with damages in an amount equal to the amount wrongfully withheld, and reasonable attorneys fees." (§ 5321.16(C)). On the statute's own words, this remedy is tied to noncompliance with the 30-day itemized-notice-and-payment requirement in (B) — it doesn't spell out a separate bad-faith standard in its own text. As noted above, though, you only qualify for this damages-and-fees remedy if you gave the landlord your forwarding address in writing.

Separate account or bond required?

No. Ohio's statute doesn't require a landlord to hold a deposit in a segregated account, an interest-bearing account tied to a specific institution, or a bond.

What trips people up

Both the lease's termination AND your handover of possession have to happen before the 30-day clock starts. If you move out early but the lease term hasn't technically ended yet, or you leave the lease term to lapse but keep some belongings or keys, the 30 days may not have started on the date you think it did.

You have to affirmatively give a forwarding address in writing. The statute makes this your responsibility, and ties your right to the damages-and-attorney's-fees remedy directly to having done so — simply moving out isn't enough.

"Damages the landlord suffered" is tied to your own statutory duties or the lease, not a freestanding wear-and-tear standard the statute spells out. Section 5321.05's list of tenant duties (keeping fixtures clean, not damaging appliances, following housing codes, and so on) is the actual textual hook for what counts as your noncompliance.

Common questions

My landlord kept my whole deposit and never sent me anything in writing — what am I owed? Based on § 5321.16(C), if the landlord failed to comply with the 30-day itemized-notice-and-payment requirement in (B), you can recover the deposit itself plus damages equal to the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney's fees — provided you gave a forwarding address.

Is there a cap on how big my security deposit can be in Ohio? No. State law doesn't limit the amount a landlord can charge as a deposit.

Do I get interest on a $40 deposit I held for a year? No. § 5321.16(A) only requires interest on the amount above $50 or one month's rent, whichever is greater — a $40 deposit falls under that floor entirely.

Statutes and sources

• Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(A) — interest threshold, rate, and tenancy-length trigger.
  https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.16 (accessed 2026-07-06)
• Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B) — 30-day itemized-notice-and-payment deadline and the forwarding-address requirement.
  https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.16 (accessed 2026-07-06)
• Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(C) — remedy for noncompliance with the 30-day requirement.
  https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.16 (accessed 2026-07-06)
• Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.05(A)(6) — tenant's statutory duty not to damage fixtures/appliances, the textual basis for a damage deduction.
  https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.05 (accessed 2026-07-06)