Step 1
Collect it as a deposit, not as rent
Name the amount, the unit, and the date it posted. If it looks like another month of rent in the bank, you will not know what is still held when they leave.
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How-to for small landlords
How to collect a security deposit as a small landlord.
A deposit is money held on the unit: collected, still held, itemized if you withhold, and returned from the same record. Mixing it with rent is how the number disappears.
Where it goes missing
The fight is usually the missing receipt, not the dollar amount.
- The deposit hit the same account as rent. A year later you cannot tell what is still held.
- You remember taking $1,200. The lease says something else. There is no receipt on the unit.
- Move-out deductions live in your head. The tenant gets a number with no statement attached.
A money file
Four habits that keep the deposit on the rental.
Step 2
Hold it on the unit
The balance should sit on that rental, separate from operating cash in your head. A few doors still produce overlapping deposits that all look the same in one account.
Step 3
Write deductions as a statement
If you withhold, itemize it. This page is the money file, not a move-in inspection and not legal advice. Follow your lease and your state rules on timing and notices.
Step 4
Return what is owed from the same record
Paid, withheld, remaining. The refund should point at the deposit you collected, not a new check you cannot tie back.
In Rentway
Collected, held, and returned on the same unit.
Rentway is property-management software for landlords and managers. A security deposit is a balance on the property. Follow your lease and your state rules. This is not legal advice.
Deposits collected against the unit, not mixed into rent
A held balance you can see later
Itemized deductions on the same record
A return that ties back to what you took in
FAQ
- Is this legal advice?
- No. How much you can take, where you must hold it, and how fast you must return it depend on the lease and the state. This page is about keeping the amount on the unit so you can follow the rules you already have.
- Can I try Rentway first?
- Yes. Rentway is a 14-day free trial with no card required. Live plans are on the pricing page.
Keep the deposit on the unit, not in the rent pile.
Try Rentway for 14 days with no card required and track deposits as held money you can return from the same record.
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