What are the security deposit rules in Ohio?
Ohio sets no cap on security deposits, and a landlord must return the deposit — with a written, itemized list of any deductions — within 30 days after the lease ends and the tenant delivers possession.
Wrongful withholding is expensive: the tenant recovers the amount wrongfully withheld plus damages equal to that amount (double, in effect) plus reasonable attorney's fees, but only if the tenant gave a written forwarding address. Deposits exceeding the greater of $50 or one month's rent earn 5% annual interest on the excess when the tenant stays six months or more, which means a standard one-month deposit typically earns nothing. Ohio requires no escrow or separate account, so the main compliance burden is the 30-day itemization clock.
Ohio security deposits at a glance
| Maximum deposit | No statutory cap |
|---|---|
| Return deadline | 30 days |
| Deadline conditions | Any deduction must be itemized and identified in a written notice delivered to the tenant, together with the amount due, within 30 days after termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession. The tenant must provide a written forwarding or new address; failing to do so does not excuse the landlord's 30-day duty but bars the tenant from recovering the statutory damages and attorney's fees under 5321.16(C). |
| Itemization required | Yes |
| Itemization rules | Written notice itemizing and identifying each deduction, delivered with the balance due within 30 days. The deposit may be applied to past-due rent and to damages from the tenant's noncompliance with ORC 5321.05 or the rental agreement; ordinary wear and tear is not chargeable. |
| Separate account required | No |
| Interest owed to tenant | Yes |
| Account & interest rules | Conditional: any deposit exceeding $50 or one month's rent, whichever is greater, bears 5% per annum interest on the excess if the tenant remains in possession six months or more, computed and paid annually (ORC 5321.16(A)). In practice this only bites when the deposit exceeds one month's rent, so most standard one-month deposits earn no statutory interest. |
| Pet deposits | No separate statutory category; refundable pet deposits are part of the security deposit and count toward the interest threshold. |
| Non-refundable fees allowed | Not addressed by statute |
| Penalty for violation | If the landlord fails to comply with the 30-day return/itemization duty, the tenant may recover the money due plus damages in an amount equal to the amount wrongfully withheld — i.e., double the wrongfully withheld portion — and reasonable attorney's fees (ORC 5321.16(C)). The tenant forfeits the damages and fee remedies (not the deposit itself) by failing to supply a forwarding address. |
| Tenant forwarding-address duty | The tenant shall provide the landlord in writing with a forwarding or new address to which the notice and amount due may be sent; failure bars recovery of damages and attorney's fees under 5321.16(C) (ORC 5321.16(B)). |
Notes and caveats
Statute citations
- ORC 5321.16 (A)-(C) Official source
How this record was verified: Direct read of Ohio Revised Code text on the official codes.ohio.gov site (Legislative Service Commission): ORC 5321.16 (full text), 5321.04 (full text), 5321.17 (full text), 5321.20 (page confirmed), with the 2022 HB 430 rent-control preemption amendments to 5321.19/5321.20 verified against contemporaneous legal analyses.