Published 2026-09-27 · 8 min read

Kansas Security Deposit Law 2026: Limits, Deadlines & Deductions

Kansas gives landlords one of the tightest caps in the country — one month's rent for an unfurnished unit — but one of the more forgiving clocks: return the balance within 14 days of figuring out what you owe, and in no event later than 30 days after move-out. Miss the mark and the tenant recovers the balance plus 1.5x the amount wrongfully withheld. Every section below is from Kansas Statutes Annotated §58-2550.

The short version: One month's rent max (1.5 months if furnished; an extra half-month pet deposit allowed). Return what's owed within 14 days of determining deductions, capped at 30 days after termination, possession, and the tenant's demand. If you keep any of it, hand over an itemized written notice. Wrongful withholding costs you 1.5x the withheld amount.

The statute table

Limits: how much can you charge?

One month's rent for an unfurnished dwelling; one and one-half months' rent for a furnished one (§58-2550(a)). If pets are permitted, you may add a pet deposit of up to one-half month's rent on top. The pieces stack only in the combinations the statute names: on a $1,800 rental, the ceiling is $1,800 unfurnished with no pets, $2,700 furnished with no pets, and $3,600 for a furnished unit where pets are allowed — there is no fourth ingredient, and relabeling part of the deposit as a fee does not raise the ceiling, because the cap is measured by amount or value received. One narrow exception exists: a municipal housing authority running a federally subsidized, income-based rental program may set deposits by its own bedroom-size schedule instead, with a deferred-payment plan for the tenant. Private landlords get no equivalent carve-out. That's it — Kansas has one of the lowest caps in the nation, so confirm you stay under it with the Security Deposit Max Checker.

The 30-day deadline, precisely

Kansas runs a two-part clock (§58-2550(b)):

1. Return the balance within 14 days of the date you determine the amount owed (your deductions), and

2. In no event later than 30 days after three things coincide: termination of the tenancy, delivery of possession, and demand by the tenant.

The demand requirement is the wrinkle: the 30-day hard cap runs from when the tenant actually asks for the deposit. But don't coast on that — if no demand comes within 30 days of termination, you must mail the amount due to the tenant's last known address. Calendar it with the Security Deposit Deadline Finder.

When the clock actually starts

Kansas runs two clocks at once, and the earlier one wins. The 14-day clock starts on the date you determine the amount of the expenses, damages, or other charges — in practice, the date your inspection, invoices, and rent ledger add up to a final number. The 30-day clock is the hard outer limit, and it starts only when three things have all happened: the tenancy has terminated, the tenant has delivered possession, and the tenant has demanded the deposit. That structure rewards landlords who finish their determination early and punishes the opposite habit: if you do not determine the amount until day 20, the 14-day window does not give you until day 34 — the 30-day cap cuts it off at day 30. Log three dates in the deposit file on move-out day: the termination and possession date, the date of the tenant's demand, and the date you determined the withholding amount. The second and third dates, not your memory of the walk-through, are what prove which deadline applied.

A worked example

Say a tenant renting for $1,800 a month vacates on Monday, March 2, 2026 — tenancy terminated, possession delivered, and a written demand for the deposit handed over the same day. The deposit on file is $1,800, exactly the one-month cap for an unfurnished unit. You inspect that week, collect the cleaning invoice and the final rent ledger, and determine the amount on Monday, March 16, 2026: $450 of damage beyond ordinary wear and tear and $200 of accrued rent — $650 in total, both inside §58-2550(b). The 14-day clock from the March 16 determination makes the balance due Monday, March 30, 2026 — two days ahead of the 30-day hard cap of Wednesday, April 1, 2026, so March 30 is the deadline that controls. The itemized written notice and the $1,150 balance go out together by March 30. What you cannot do is treat April 1 as your working deadline once you have determined the amount on March 16, and what you cannot do under any circumstances is keep determining indefinitely: a determination still unfinished on day 25 leaves you five days, not fourteen.

Never miss Kansas's 14-day determination clock: the Security Deposit Disposition & Deadline Tracker ($14.95) tracks the determination date, the 30-day hard cap, and per-unit deductions — so the earlier deadline never sneaks past you.

Deductions and the itemized list

§58-2550(b) permits applying the deposit to accrued rent and to damages the landlord suffered from the tenant's noncompliance with the rental agreement or statutory tenant duties — normal wear and tear excluded by the "noncompliance" framing.

Keep any portion and you must deliver an itemized written notice to the tenant. And put this lease clause in writing: the tenant may not apply the deposit to rent — if they try, the deposit is forfeited and you can recover the full rent due. Draft the notice with the Security Deposit Deduction Letter Generator.

Move-out compliance checklist

1. Log the three clock dates on move-out day. Record termination and delivery of possession, the date of the tenant's demand, and — once you finish the inspection and invoices — the date you determined the withholding amount.

2. Finish the determination early. The 14-day clock runs from your determination, but the 30-day cap does not move; a determination finished in the first week is the only way to keep the full 14 days usable.

3. Calendar the earlier deadline, not the later one. Work backwards from whichever of the 14-day and 30-day dates lands first — in most files that is 14 days after you determine the amount.

4. Inspect and document in the first days. Photograph every claimed item and tie each charge to accrued rent or to damage from the tenant's noncompliance with the rental agreement or §58-2555 duties.

5. Itemize every dollar in writing. The notice lists each damage and charge separately; a lump sum invites a wrongful-withholding claim over the whole amount retained.

6. Deliver the notice and the balance together, provably. Keep the mailing or delivery record with the deposit file — if the tenant never demands the deposit, mail the amount due to the last known address within 30 days of termination instead.

7. Never let a tenant spend the deposit as rent. If a tenant tries to apply the deposit to rent, the deposit is forfeited and the full rent remains recoverable — say so in the lease and enforce it in writing, not by quietly keeping the money.

Interest and where the money sits

No interest and no separate account required in Kansas. Custody is unregulated; the statute's discipline is all about the caps, the itemized notice, and the deadline.

The penalty, spelled out

Under §58-2550(c), a landlord who fails to comply with the return rules faces a tenant suit to recover:

• the portion of the deposit due, plus
• damages equal to one and one-half times the amount wrongfully withheld.

On a $1,000 deposit wrongfully kept in full, that's $1,000 + $1,500 = $2,500 — a 1.5x multiplier that's unusual among states.

Run the worked example through that sanction. On the $1,800 deposit above, if you keep the whole deposit with no itemized notice and no timely return, §58-2550(c) exposes you to the $1,800 portion due plus $2,700 in damages (1.5 times the $1,800 wrongfully withheld) — $4,500 in total on a dispute that started at $1,800. Even where only the $650 withholding is challenged, the math attaches to the amount wrongfully withheld: $650 back plus $975 in damages, $1,625 for a single sloppy line item. Note what the multiplier is measured against — the amount wrongfully withheld, not the rent and not the deposit cap — so the defense is never the size of the charge; it is the itemized notice, the documented damage, and proof you returned the balance inside the earlier of the two clocks.

FAQ

How long does a Kansas landlord have to return a security deposit?

Within 14 days of determining the withholding amount, and never later than 30 days after termination, delivery of possession, and the tenant's demand (§58-2550(b)).

What is the maximum security deposit in Kansas?

One month's rent unfurnished, 1.5 months' rent furnished, plus up to a half-month pet deposit if pets are allowed (§58-2550(a)).

Does Kansas require an itemized list of deductions?

Yes — if any portion of the deposit is retained, the landlord must deliver an itemized written notice (§58-2550(b)).

What is the penalty for wrongfully withholding a deposit in Kansas?

The tenant recovers the amount due plus 1.5 times the amount wrongfully withheld (§58-2550(c)).

Can a Kansas tenant use the deposit as last month's rent?

No — attempting to apply the deposit to rent forfeits the deposit, and the landlord may recover the full rent (§58-2550(b)).

What if the tenant never demands the deposit back?

Mail the balance due to the tenant's last known address within 30 days of termination (§58-2550(b)).

What happens if I determine the deductions late?

The 30-day cap overrides the 14-day window. The balance is due within 14 days after you determine the amount, but never later than 30 days after termination, delivery of possession, and demand — a determination made on day 20 leaves you 10 days, not 14 (§58-2550(b)).

Does Kansas require a separate deposit account or interest?

No. §58-2550 imposes no separate-account, escrow, or interest requirement — its discipline is the cap, the itemized written notice, and the return deadlines.

Read the statute yourself

Everything on this page traces back to K.S.A. §58-2550. If a deadline, deduction, or penalty question is ever disputed, the primary sources — not a summary — are what control:

• K.S.A. §58-2550 (Kansas Legislature, official) — the official full text covering the one-month cap, the 14-day and 30-day return clocks, and the 1.5x damages rule.
• K.S.A. §58-2550 (Justia) — the same section in Justia's Kansas Statutes library, useful for cross-checking the cap, itemization, and penalty provisions.
• K.S.A. §58-2550 (Cornell Law Institute) — the same section in Cornell's regulations library.

Kansas gives you 30 days to return the balance — to the tenant's last known address, even if they never ask for it. The Security Deposit Disposition & Deadline Tracker ($14.95) calendars the 30-day clock, tracks deductions, and keeps your mailing proof organized for every unit.

The deposit is only one piece of Kansas compliance. Our full Kansas landlord-tenant law guide covers the rest of the relationship — the Section 58-2570 termination clocks, eviction for cause, repairs and habitability, entry rules, and the Section 58-2572 retaliation rule.

More security deposit guides

• Security deposit laws by state
• Iowa security deposit law
• Kentucky security deposit law
• Indiana security deposit law
• Louisiana security deposit law

Last verified: October 15, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Verify with a licensed Kansas attorney before acting.