Ohio Security Deposit Law

Maximum deposit

Ohio law sets no maximum security deposit, so the amount is set by the lease (R.C. 5321.16, which regulates deposits but contains no cap). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16)

Return deadline

Landlords must return the deposit, with a written itemized list of any deductions, within 30 days after the rental agreement ends and the tenant delivers possession (R.C. 5321.16(B)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B))

Itemized statement of deductions

Any deduction must be itemized and identified in a written notice delivered to the tenant with the balance due, sent to the tenant's written forwarding address (R.C. 5321.16(B)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B))

Interest on the deposit

If the deposit exceeds the greater of $50 or one month's rent and the tenant stays six months or more, pay 5% annual interest on the excess every year (R.C. 5321.16(A)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(A))

5% per year on the part of the deposit exceeding the greater of $50 or one month's rent, if the tenant stays 6 months or more; computed and paid annually.

Penalty for wrongful withholding

A landlord who misses the 30-day itemized return owes the amount due plus an equal amount in damages and reasonable attorney's fees, unless the tenant failed to give a written forwarding address (R.C. 5321.16(B)-(C)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(C))

Where the deposit is held

Ohio does not tell landlords where to keep a tenant's deposit, so no escrow or separate bank account is required by state law (R.C. 5321.16 covers only interest, deductions and return). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16)

Receipt or written notice of the deposit

No Ohio statute obliges a landlord to issue a receipt for a security deposit or to say which bank holds it (R.C. 5321.16). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16)

Move-in condition checklist

Ohio law has no required move-in inspection or condition checklist; deductions are judged under the general itemized-return rule (R.C. 5321.16(B)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16)

Pet deposits

Ohio's landlord-tenant chapter contains no pet-deposit cap or pet-specific deposit rule, so pet deposits are treated like any other security deposit (R.C. 5321.01(E), 5321.16). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.01(E), Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16)

Nonrefundable fees

Ohio statutes neither ban nor regulate nonrefundable move-in fees; only money meeting the definition of a security deposit is subject to the return rules (R.C. 5321.01(E), 5321.16). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.01(E), Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16)

Small-landlord exemptions

Ohio's deposit rules apply to every residential landlord regardless of how many units they own, with no size or owner-occupancy carve-out (R.C. 5321.16). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16)

Deposit alternatives and installments

Ohio has no statute on surety bonds, deposit-waiver fees or paying a deposit in installments (R.C. 5321.16). (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16)