Landlord & tenant · New York
the short answer
Your landlord has 14 days after the tenancy ends to return your deposit. Miss that date and the landlord loses the right to keep any part of it, whatever the condition of the apartment. If the violation was willful, a court can add punitive damages of up to twice the deposit.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
governing statute
source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-19
deadline
14 days
source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-19
Across the country. 6 of the 47 states written up answer this the same way as New York. The shortest is 14 days, as in Alaska; the longest is 60 days, as in Alabama. Compare every state →
penalty
Miss the 14 days and the landlord forfeits any right to retain any portion of the deposit. A willful violation adds punitive damages of up to twice the deposit (§ 7-108(1-a)(e), (g)).
source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-19
which court
Small Claims Part of the New York City Civil Court
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
small claims limit
$10,000
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
exceptions: In town and village justice courts the limit is $3,000.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
your situation
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