Security deposit law in District of Columbia

One month's rent. The return rule is 45 days. The controlling text is D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 §§ 308-311.

Shared move-in, deduction, and refund workflow: the national state-law hub.

District of Columbia's deposit ceiling

One month's rent.

District of Columbia's return deadline

45 days.

You have 45 days after the tenancy ends to return the deposit or notify the tenant in writing that you intend to make deductions, and then 30 more days to deliver the itemized statement and any balance. Both dates run from the end of the tenancy, so treat the first as the trigger.

The itemized statement rule

A written itemized statement of deductions is required within the second 30-day window. The notice of intent to withhold must go out within the first 45 days or the right to deduct is lost.

Account and interest rules

Deposits must be held in an interest-bearing escrow account, and the tenant is entitled to the interest at the statutory rate when the deposit is returned.

Exposure for wrongful withholding

Up to 3x for bad-faith retention.

A landlord who withholds in bad faith can be liable for up to three times the amount wrongfully withheld. The two-step notice-then-statement sequence is where landlords slip, so both dates belong on the calendar.

Compare District of Columbia with neighboring states

• Maryland: one month's rent; return rule: 45 days.
• Virginia: two months' rent; return rule: 45 days.