Minnesota security deposit law: the 21-day deadline and your rights
Three weeks after termination AND receipt of the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions (five days if the building is condemned) — the clock does not start until the landlord has the address.
What Minnesota law says
- Return deadline
- 21 days
- Statute
- Minn. Stat. § 504B.178
Two layers: (1) automatic — damages equal to the portion withheld plus interest, in addition to returning it (subd. 4; effectively doubles recovery); (2) bad-faith retention adds punitive damages up to $500 per deposit (subd. 7). Bad faith is PRESUMED if the landlord failed to comply and doesn't return the deposit within two weeks of suit being filed.
Verification pending. Our attorney-reviewed deep-dive for Minnesota — with the full case builder, damages calculator, and demand letter generator — isn't live yet. The summary above is drawn from the statute but hasn't completed our legal review; always confirm against the current text of Minn. Stat. § 504B.178.
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