Nebraska Deposit return deadline
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Nebraska?
Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416(2), upon termination of the tenancy, property or money held by the landlord as prepaid rent and security may be applied to the payment of rent and the amount of damages which the landlord has suffered by reason of the tenant's noncompliance with the rental agreement or section 76-1421. The balance, if any, and a written itemization shall be delivered or mailed to the tenant within fourteen days after the date of termination of the tenancy. If no mailing address or instructions are provided by the tenant, the landlord shall mail, by first-class mail, the balance of the security deposit to be returned, if any, and a written itemization of the amount of the security deposit not returned, to the tenant's last-known mailing address. If the mailing is returned as undeliverable, or if the returned balance of the security deposit remains outstanding for one year, it shall be considered abandoned property to be reported and paid to the State Treasurer in accordance with the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act. Under subsection (3), if the landlord fails to comply with subsection (2), the tenant may recover the property and money due, court costs, and reasonable attorney's fees, and if that failure is willful and not in good faith, an amount equal to one month's periodic rent or two times the amount of the security deposit, whichever is less, as liquidated damages. Subsection (4) does not preclude other damages under the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, but a tenant shall not be liable for damages directly related to the tenant's removal from the premises by order of any governmental entity as a result of the premises not being fit for habitation due to the negligence or neglect of the landlord. The holder of the landlord's interest in the premises at the time of termination is bound by this section. Subsection (1)'s cap on security, including the pet-deposit allowance and the housing-agency exception, is a separate limit and is not restated here as the deposit-return rule. Example: after a tenancy ends, the landlord has fourteen days to deliver or mail any remaining deposit with a written itemization; if the tenant left no forwarding instructions, that mailing goes by first-class mail to the last-known mailing address.
Verified Source: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416(2) · last checked 2026-11-12
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