Deadline to return a rental deposit, by country
Only the Netherlands writes the deadline as a number of days: 14, or 30 when the landlord sets off damage or unpaid rent. Austria says only "unverzüglich" (without delay), Spain attaches legal interest once a month has passed since the keys came back, and Norway runs the release through a bank account with a five-week notice period. In Ontario no repayment date is stated at all; the deposit is applied to the last rent period instead.
Scope of this guide
Canada: the Canada Labour Code (federal sector) and the Ontario statutes that LawAsked has loaded. Other provinces are not compared.
| Country | Timing rule | Who releases it |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Without delay after the lease ends | Landlord, with the interest earned |
| Canada | No repayment date; applied to the last rent period | Landlord applies it to rent |
| Spain | Legal interest runs if unpaid 1 month after the keys are returned | Landlord |
| Netherlands | 14 days (30 days if damage or unpaid rent is set off) | Landlord |
| Norway | Bank pays out after a 5-week notice if the other side does not sue | Bank holding the deposit account |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- Mietrechtsgesetz § 16b(2)
- The statute says "unverzüglich" and gives no number of days.
- The landlord may first use the deposit for justified claims arising from the tenancy.
- Covers tenancies under the Mietrechtsgesetz; the Act itself excludes some premises from its scope.
Nach Ende des Mietvertrags hat der Vermieter dem Mieter die Kaution samt den aus ihrer Veranlagung erzielten Zinsen unverzüglich zurückzustellen Canada
- Rule
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (Ontario) s. 106(10)
- The ingested text sets no deadline for a cash refund. The landlord must apply the deposit to the rent for the last rent period before the tenancy ends.
- Ontario statute only. Canada Labour Code does not deal with tenancies.
A landlord shall apply a rent deposit that a tenant has paid to the landlord or to a former landlord in payment of the rent for the last rent period before the tenancy terminates. Spain
- Rule
- Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos, art. 36(4)
- The statute does not forbid a later refund; it adds legal interest to the balance once a month has passed since the tenant handed back the keys.
- Applies to the cash deposit (fianza en metálico).
devengará el interés legal, transcurrido un mes desde la entrega de las llaves por el mismo sin que se hubiere hecho efectiva dicha restitución. Netherlands
- Rule
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, art. 261b(3)
- The 30-day period applies to damage within art. 218 (repair costs must be proven) and to rent, service charges or energy performance fees the tenant still owes.
- The landlord must tell the tenant in writing about the set-off and give a full cost breakdown (art. 261b(4)).
De verhuurder restitueert de waarborgsom binnen veertien dagen na beëindiging van de huurovereenkomstbinnen dertig dagen na beëindiging van de huurovereenkomst het restant van de waarborgsom Norway
- Rule
- Husleieloven § 3-5
- The deposit sits in a bank account and neither party can draw on it alone during the tenancy.
- The same five-week notice period applies to a claim by the landlord for rent owed and a claim by the tenant for the deposit.
- Either party can also get payout with the other party's written consent or a final court judgment.
Mottar ikke finansinstitusjonen slikt krav eller dokumentasjon innen fristen, og leieren ikke har trukket kravet tilbake, skal finansinstitusjonen med frigjørende virkning utbetale beløpet til leieren.innen fem uker etter at varselet ble sendt Countries not in this table yet
Germany (§ 551 BGB sets no repayment date in the ingested text), the United Kingdom (the ingested sections do not state a return date; the scheme rules in Schedule 10 are not ingested), Sweden and Japan (no deposit rule in the ingested acts), the United States, Australia and France (no tenancy deposit statute ingested).
How this table was built
Every row is taken from the official, consolidated text of the statute, which LawAsked loads from each government’s legislation service.
Each figure is tied to a passage quoted word for word from that text. When the page is served, it checks that every quoted passage is still in the current text of a law that is in force; if a law is amended and its wording changes, that row is hidden until a person reviews it again.
The table shows the statutory minimum only. Collective agreements, awards and individual contracts often give more than the statute, and some countries let a collective agreement set different terms.
Use this data
The table and the CSV are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit LawAsked and link to this page. Quoted statute text stays under the terms of its official source.
How to cite this page
LawAsked, “Deadline to return a rental deposit, by country”, https://lawasked.com/guides/deposit-return-deadline (reviewed October 25, 2026).
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