Landlord & tenant · Minnesota
the short answer
Money kept wrongly comes back with interest, and the landlord owes the same amount again as a penalty. Bad faith adds up to $500 more. Your deadline is three weeks, and it starts from the later of moving out and the landlord getting your mailing address, so send that address promptly.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
governing statute
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deadline
21 days
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Across the country. 7 of the 47 states written up answer this the same way as Minnesota. The shortest is 14 days, as in Alaska; the longest is 60 days, as in Alabama. Compare every state →
penalty
A penalty equal to the portion withheld, on top of returning that portion with interest. Bad-faith retention adds punitive damages of up to $500 per deposit.
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which court
Conciliation court
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small claims limit
$20,000
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exceptions: $4,000 where the claim arises from a consumer credit transaction.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
also
Three weeks from the end of the tenancy and receipt of your mailing address — but only five days if you had to leave because the building was condemned. Returning the deposit within two weeks of being sued defeats the bad-faith finding.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
your situation
Everything above is the law as it reaches everyone in Minnesota. What it means for you turns on facts only you have. Tell us what happened and we'll ask the same questions a lawyer would — about 90 seconds, free, and anonymous.
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