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Moving Out? How to Handle the Security Deposit With Roommates
The security deposit is often the last money you and your roommates share, and it arrives after everyone has scattered. A little planning in the weeks before move-out makes it much easier to get back and divide.
A few weeks before move-out
Find your paperwork
Look for the lease, any move-in checklist or photos, and a record of who paid how much of the original deposit. If one roommate paid more at the start, that matters when the money comes back.
Agree on a forwarding plan
Decide whose address and account the landlord will use for the refund, and confirm that person will pass along shares promptly. Put each person's share in writing.
Ask about the landlord's process
Some landlords offer a pre-move-out walkthrough. Ask what they'll check and whether there's a cleaning standard. Practices and requirements vary by state and city, so look up local rules on timelines and deductions.
Move-out week
Clean and repair together
Split the cleaning by area. Shared spaces are a shared job; each person handles their own room. Fix small things you're responsible for, like nail holes, if your lease or landlord allows it.
Document everything
Take dated photos and video of every room after cleaning, including floors, walls, appliances, and inside cabinets. Compare them with move-in photos if you have them. Save copies somewhere every roommate can reach.
Return keys and give your address
Return all keys and give the landlord your forwarding address in writing.
When the deposit comes back
Read the itemized deductions
If money was withheld, look at each deduction. Ask: was it a shared area or someone's room? Was it there at move-in? Is it normal wear and tear? Whether a deduction is allowed depends on your lease and local law, so check local tenant resources if something looks wrong.
Assign deductions fairly
A common approach:
- Damage in one person's room comes out of that person's share
- Damage in shared areas or with an unknown cause is split among everyone
- General cleaning fees are usually split
Do the math
Start with what each person originally paid, subtract their assigned deductions, and add any interest the landlord paid. The security deposit split calculator does this without a spreadsheet.
If roommates moved out at different times
When someone left mid-lease and a new person took their spot, the departing roommate often settled their deposit share directly with the newcomer. Check what was agreed then before dividing the refund.
Move-out checklist
- Original deposit contributions recorded
- Refund recipient and payout plan agreed
- Before-and-after photos saved
- Keys returned, forwarding address given
- Deductions reviewed and assigned
Do this before you leave and dividing the refund takes minutes. For the rules on who pays for which deductions, see how to split a security deposit. To protect the deposit from move-in onward, read how to get your security deposit back.