Landlord & tenant · Vermont
the short answer
Your landlord has 14 days to return your deposit. Miss that date and the landlord loses the right to keep any part of it. A willful failure is worth double the amount kept wrongly, plus reasonable attorney's fees and costs.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
governing statute
9 V.S.A. § 4461
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
deadline
14 days
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
Across the country. 6 of the 47 states written up answer this the same way as Vermont. The shortest is 14 days, as in Alaska; the longest is 60 days, as in Alabama. Compare every state →
penalty
Missing the 14 days forfeits the right to withhold any portion of the deposit. A willful failure is worth double the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney's fees and costs.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
which court
Small claims court
source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-25
small claims limit
$10,000
source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-25
exceptions: $5,000 to collect a consumer credit debt or a medical debt, and above that the court cannot hear those at all. The court awards money and nothing else, and a claim worth more than $10,000 cannot be split in two to fit. Over $3,500 the person you sue may ask that a judge hear it.
source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-25
your situation
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