Alaska security deposit law

What your landlord is legally required to do after you move out, how long they have, and what it costs them if they get it wrong.

The deadline

Under Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070, a landlord in Alaska must return your security deposit — together with any required written itemization of deductions — within 14 days. Once that window closes without payment or a proper itemization, the landlord is in violation of the statute.

14 days if the tenant gave proper notice and no deductions are claimed; 30 days if deductions are claimed or the tenant did not give proper notice.

What it costs your landlord

Under Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070, a landlord who wrongfully withholds a deposit in Alaska may be liable for up to double the amount wrongfully withheld where the failure was willful. That exposure is the reason a formal demand letter works: it is usually cheaper for a landlord to pay you than to argue about it.

What your landlord may deduct in Alaska

Unpaid rent and damages resulting from the tenant's noncompliance, but not deterioration from ordinary wear and tear or from the landlord's own failure to prepare for expected conditions.

Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070

Ordinary wear and tear

Alaska excludes ordinary wear and tear and adds a second exclusion no other state has: deterioration the landlord caused by failing to prepare the property for conditions that were expected.

“deterioration that results from ordinary wear and tear, or… the landlord's failure to prepare for expected conditions”

What a compliant itemization has to contain

A written itemized list of deductions, within 14 days where the tenant gave proper notice.

Read it yourself: Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070

How to get your deposit back in Alaska

1. 1. Confirm the deadline has passed. Count from the day you moved out and returned possession. In Alaska that's 14 days.
2. 2. Put your forwarding address in writing. In several states a landlord has no obligation until they have it, and having sent it protects your claim.
3. 3. Gather your evidence. The lease, proof you paid the deposit, move-in and move-out photos, and any itemization they sent.
4. 4. Send a written demand by certified mail. Cite Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070, state the amount owed, and give a deadline to pay. Certified mail creates the delivery record a judge will want to see.
5. 5. File in small claims if they ignore you. You don't need a lawyer. File in the county where the property is located.

Common questions

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Alaska?

Under Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070, a Alaska landlord has 14 days to return the deposit and provide any required written itemization of deductions.

What is the penalty if my landlord keeps my deposit in Alaska?

Under Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070, a landlord who wrongfully withholds may be liable for up to double the amount wrongfully withheld where the failure was willful.

Do I have to sue to get my security deposit back?

Often not. A formal written demand sent by certified mail puts your landlord on notice of the statute, the deadline they missed and the penalty attached to it — and gives you a dated record that they received it. Small claims court is the fallback if they ignore it.