Nebraska Security Deposit Law Explained
If you moved out of a place you rented in Nebraska, you are usually entitled to get your deposit back unless the landlord is keeping part of it for unpaid rent or a lawful damage claim.
The practical rule
Nebraska's main residential security deposit rule is Neb. Rev. Stat. Section 76-1416. The rule is short and renter-facing: within 14 days after the tenancy ends, the landlord must deliver or mail the remaining deposit balance and a written itemization.
The most useful facts are the termination date, the deposit amount, what the landlord kept, whether a written itemization was sent, and whether the deductions are tied to unpaid rent or tenant-caused noncompliance rather than ordinary wear and tear.
Deposit cap
Nebraska generally caps the security deposit at one month's periodic rent. If a pet deposit is appropriate, the statute allows an additional pet deposit up to one-fourth of one month's periodic rent.
The 14-day return and itemization rule
The landlord must deliver or mail the balance, if any, and a written itemization within 14 days after the tenancy terminates. If money is withheld, the itemization should explain what was kept and why.
A current mailing address or delivery instruction is still useful because it keeps the record clean. If the tenant gives no mailing address or instructions, the statute directs the landlord to mail by first-class mail to the tenant's last-known mailing address.
What can be deducted
Nebraska allows the deposit to be applied to unpaid rent and damages the landlord suffers because of tenant noncompliance with the rental agreement or Neb. Rev. Stat. Section 76-1421.
Ordinary wear and tear is different from tenant-caused damage. Photos, move-in records, move-out records, and the landlord's itemization are often the documents that decide whether a deduction is fair.
If the landlord does not comply
If the landlord fails to follow the 14-day balance and itemization rule, Nebraska law allows the tenant to recover the money or property due, court costs, and reasonable attorney fees.
If the failure is willful and not in good faith, the statute also allows liquidated damages equal to the lesser of one month's periodic rent or two times the security deposit. The stronger claim depends on the landlord's conduct, so the timeline, itemization, deduction support, and written record matter.
Sources used for this guide
Source reviewed: April 2026.
Next Nebraska pages
The system organizes the move-out notice, 14-day follow-up, statute-backed demand, and final demand into a Nebraska-specific sequence.
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