Maximum rental deposit by country
Deposit caps range from one month to six months of rent, with most jurisdictions requiring deposits be held separately and earning interest for tenants. Canada, Germany, and Netherlands limit deposits to one to three times monthly rent; Norway allows up to six months.
Scope of this guide
Canada: the Canada Labour Code (federal sector) and the Ontario statutes that LawAsked has loaded. Other provinces are not compared.
Canada figures reflect Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act, 2006; federal sector governed by Canada Labour Code. All amounts are in statutory format as stated; conversion to common currency not provided.
| Country | Maximum deposit | Expressed as |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 1 month | Lesser of one rent period or one calendar month |
| Germany | 3x monthly rent | Three times the monthly rent (excluding utilities) |
| Netherlands | 2x monthly rent | Maximum twice the monthly rent (huurprijs) |
| Norway | 6 months | Up to six months of rent (leie) |
| Sweden | Arrangement subject to agreement | Deposit/pledge (pant eller borgen) agreed between parties |
Country by country
Canada
- Rule
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (Ontario) § 106(2)
- Canada Labour Code applies to federal sector only; this reflects Ontario provincial law.
- Annual interest at guideline rate must be paid to tenant (§106(6)).
- Deposit applies to last rent period (§106(10)).
The amount of a rent deposit shall not be more than the lesser of the amount of rent for one rent period and the amount of rent for one month. Germany
- Rule
- Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch § 551(1)
- Tenant may pay in three equal monthly installments (§551(2)).
- Deposit must be held at credit institution at savings account interest rates; interest accrues to tenant (§551(3)).
- Deposit is separate from landlord's property.
darf diese vorbehaltlich des Absatzes 3 Satz 4 höchstens das Dreifache der auf einen Monat entfallenden Miete ohne die als Pauschale oder als Vorauszahlung ausgewiesenen Betriebskosten betragen. Netherlands
- Rule
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, art. 261b(2)
- Deposit (waarborgsom) must be returned within 14 days after tenancy end (art. 261b(3)).
- If deductions for damage, landlord has 30 days to return balance with itemized cost statement.
- Landlord may deduct only proven costs for damage repair (Artikel 218).
De waarborgsom bedraagt ten hoogste tweemaal de huurprijs, bedoeld in artikel 237 lid 2 . Norway
- Rule
- Husleieloven § 3-5
- Deposit must be held in separate account at financial institution in tenant's name with standard interest (§3-5).
- Interest accrues to tenant.
- Deposit and tenant interest are held in escrow; neither party may dispose of them without consent.
skal deponere et beløp oppad begrenset til summen av seks måneders leie. Sweden
- Rule
- Jordabalk (Hyra, 12 kap.) § 28
- Swedish law allows pledge or security (pant eller borgen) as agreed between landlord and tenant.
- If security deteriorates, tenant must provide new security or lessor may terminate tenancy (JB 12:28).
- Specific cap not statutorily mandated; depends on contract negotiation.
Är pant eller borgen ställd till säkerhet för att ett avtal om hyra av en lokal fullgörs Countries not in this table yet
US Fair Housing Act contains no federal deposit cap. Austria (Konsumentenschutzgesetz applies to care homes), Spain (LAU deposit provisions not verified), Japan (借地借家法 rental provisions not verified), Australia, France.
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, “Maximum rental deposit by country”, https://lawasked.com/guides/rental-deposit-cap (reviewed October 25, 2026).
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