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Security Deposit Return in Connecticut

September 27, 2026 · LawDiver Research Team

The cap is 2 months' rent (1 month for tenants age 62+). The return deadline is 21 days after termination of the tenancy / surrender of possession, with itemization. Interest: Yes — landlords must pay interest on security deposits at the Banking Commissioner’s published rate, typically credited annually. That is what separates Connecticut getting a security deposit back from a generic national summary. Read Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21 before the background sections below. Wrongful failure to return can result in liability for twice the deposit plus interest and attorney fees under § 47a-21.

When the deposit must be returned

21 days after termination of the tenancy / surrender of possession, with itemization

Interest and accounting

Yes — landlords must pay interest on security deposits at the Banking Commissioner’s published rate, typically credited annually.

Penalties for wrongful withholding

Wrongful failure to return can result in liability for twice the deposit plus interest and attorney fees under § 47a-21.

A concrete Connecticut scenario

Here is one way the Connecticut pieces fit together. Change any fact and the statute may point somewhere else.

A residential tenant moves out of a Connecticut rental and the landlord has not returned the deposit.

Check the cap that applied when the deposit was collected: 2 months' rent (1 month for tenants age 62+).
Calendar the return deadline: 21 days after termination of the tenancy / surrender of possession, with itemization
Interest, if any: Yes — landlords must pay interest on security deposits at the Banking Commissioner’s published rate, typically credited annually.
If the landlord keeps money without the required accounting: Wrongful failure to return can result in liability for twice the deposit plus interest and attorney fees under § 47a-21.

Connecticut’s § 47a-21 caps deposits at two months’ rent (one month for seniors 62+), requires interest, and mandates return with an itemized statement within 21 days. Tenants may sue in small claims or housing session for double damages.

Practical process for tenants and landlords

Document the unit with dated photos or video at move-in and move-out, keep the lease and any inspection checklist, and send a dated written demand if the deadline passes without a lawful accounting.

Case law: security deposits in Connecticut

Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities Ex Rel. Fanetta Arnold Et Al. v. Jean M. Forvil Et Al.

Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities Ex Rel. Fanetta Arnold Et Al. v. Jean M. Forvil Et Al., 302 Conn. 263 (2011)

…of the judgment and the propriety of its conclusion that a security deposit guarantee (guarantee) is a lawful source of income within the meaning of the housing discrimination statutes. See General Statutes § 46a-63 (3). We affirm the judgment of the trial court. The trial court found the following facts, which are not challenged on appeal. In early 2006, Arnold met with the d…

Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities Ex Rel. Fanetta Arnold Et Al. v. Jean M. Forvil Et Al. is worth reading on Connecticut security deposits because the court put the point in its own words: "See General Statutes § 46a-63 (3). We affirm the judgment of the trial court. The trial court found the following facts, which are not challenged on appeal." Use that passage as the starting point, then read the facts that precede it.

BRIAN SHERIDAN v. JAMES DESMOND

BRIAN SHERIDAN v. JAMES DESMOND, 45 Conn. App. 686 (1997)

…2-110a et seq., and (4) unlawfully withheld the plaintiffs’ security deposit. The jury returned a general verdict in favor of the plaintiffs in the amount of $44,000. After the close of evidence, the defendant filed a motion for a directed verdict, arguing, inter alia, that the plaintiffs failed to prove that she was liable for Desmond’s wrongful acts pursuant to § 34-51. The t…

Connecticut opinions such as BRIAN SHERIDAN v. JAMES DESMOND are cited where security deposits is disputed. The court stated: "The jury returned a general verdict in favor of the plaintiffs in the amount of $44,000." That is the language to brief; the rest of the decision supplies the procedural posture.

Mayra Rodriguez v. Michael Ancona

Mayra Rodriguez v. Michael Ancona, 88 Conn. App. 193 (2005)

…t that the defendant, Michael Ancona, wrongfully withheld a security deposit and illegally entered the tenancy then occupied by the plaintiff. On appeal, the plaintiff claims that the court improperly awarded her (1) damages, pursuant to General Statutes § 47a-18a, 1 amounting to only one month of the plaintiffs portion of the subsidized rent and (2) attorney’s fees, pursuant t…

Mayra Rodriguez v. Michael Ancona is worth reading on Connecticut security deposits because the court put the point in its own words: "Michael Ancona, wrongfully withheld a security deposit and illegally entered the tenancy then occupied by the plaintiff." Use that passage as the starting point, then read the facts that precede it.

Milford Paintball, LLC, Et Al. v. Wampus Milford Associates, LLC, Et Al.

Milford Paintball, LLC, Et Al. v. Wampus Milford Associates, LLC, Et Al., 117 Conn. App. 86 (2009)

…indoor paintball field. The plaintiffs gave the defendant a security deposit, as required by the lease. Section 3.06 of the lease agreement required the defendant to make substantial interior renovations to the building for it to be a suitable location for an indoor paintball field (landlord’s work) within ninety days of receiving notice from the plaintiffs that they had obtain…

Practitioners open Milford Paintball, LLC, Et Al. v. Wampus Milford Associates, LLC, Et Al. when Connecticut security deposits turns on the distinction in this sentence: "The plaintiffs gave the defendant a security deposit, as required by the lease. Section 3." Do not lift it out of the facts the court was deciding.

Robert E. Thorne v. Janet Broccoli

Robert E. Thorne v. Janet Broccoli, 39 Conn. Super. Ct. 289 (1984)

…endant also filed a counterclaim for twice the value of the security deposit plus interest. The court finds that under § 47a-21 of the General Statutes, the defendant is entitled to recover her security deposit, plus interest as required by statute, less $100 for damage done at the time she moved out of the apartment. Because of the unusual circumstances in the case the court d…

Robert E. Thorne v. Janet Broccoli is worth reading on Connecticut security deposits because the court put the point in its own words: "The court finds that under § 47a-21 of the General Statutes, the defendant is entitled to recover her security deposit, plus interest as required by statute, less $100 for damage done at the time she moved out of the apartment." Use that passage as the starting point, then read the facts that precede it.

Krystopher Romanczak Et Al. v. Avalonbay Communities, Inc.

Krystopher Romanczak Et Al. v. Avalonbay Communities, Inc., 122 Conn. App. 499 (2010)

…landlord’s withholding certain legal fees from the tenants’ security deposit. The plaintiffs, Krystopher Romanczak and Bryan Dumelin, appeal from the judgment of the trial court, rendered after a trial to the court, in favor of the defendant, AvalonBay Communities, Inc. On appeal, the plaintiffs claim that the court improperly determined that they were in breach of the subject…

Krystopher Romanczak Et Al. v. Avalonbay Communities, Inc. is worth reading on Connecticut security deposits because the court put the point in its own words: "The plaintiffs, Krystopher Romanczak and Bryan Dumelin, appeal from the judgment of the trial court, rendered after a trial to the court, in favor of the defendant, AvalonBay Communities, Inc." Use that passage as the starting point, then read the facts that precede it.

Freidburg v. Kurtz

Freidburg v. Kurtz, 210 Conn. App. 420 (2022)

…the plaintiff sent to the defendants an accounting of their security deposit and the alleged damages to the leased property, which indicated that there had been more than $50,000 in damages and that the deposit had been fully expended to cover certain of the expenses incurred in connection therewith. The defendants filed a counterclaim in which they alleged that the plaintiff v…

Practitioners open Freidburg v. Kurtz when Connecticut security deposits turns on the distinction in this sentence: "the plaintiff sent to the defendants an accounting of their security deposit and the alleged damages to the leased property, which indicated that there had been more than $50,000 in damages and that the deposit had been fully expended to cover certain of the expenses incurred in" Do not lift it out of the facts the court was deciding.

Marcia W. Bauer, Trustee v. Lucilla Delvalle

Marcia W. Bauer, Trustee v. Lucilla Delvalle, 35 Conn. Super. Ct. 126 (1979)

…that the plaintiff was in receipt of the defendant’s rental security deposit of $95. Because it was still within the sixty-day grace period prescribed by § 47a-21 (b) of the General Statutes, the plaintiff was not required at the time of trial to comply with the directives of that statute concerning the return of security deposits. In response, however, to the court’s questioni…

Connecticut opinions such as Marcia W. Bauer, Trustee v. Lucilla Delvalle are cited where security deposits is disputed. The court stated: "Because it was still within the sixty-day grace period prescribed by § 47a-21 (b) of the General Statutes, the plaintiff was not required at the time of trial to comply with the directives of that statute concerning the return of security deposits." That is the language to brief; the rest of the decision supplies the procedural posture.

Key takeaways

Maximum deposit: 2 months' rent (1 month for tenants age 62+)
Return deadline: 21 days after termination of the tenancy / surrender of possession, with itemization
Interest: Yes — landlords must pay interest on security deposits at the Banking Commissioner’s published rate, typically credited annually.
Penalties: Wrongful failure to return can result in liability for twice the deposit plus interest and attorney fees under § 47a-21.
Primary authority: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21.

Deposit limits in Connecticut

2 months' rent (1 month for tenants age 62+)

Frequently asked questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Connecticut?