Security deposit rules sd-2026.11.19
Published interest rates and the cleaning rule are now written as dated values, one value from each date. No rule changed and no answer moved.
- Changed: Deductions.
Every change we have made to the rules we apply in Arkansas, newest first. Each entry gives the ruleset version, the day we made the change and the rules it touched.
Dates are the days we made each change. A change reaches tektolo.com with the next release of the site. Changes that apply in every state are in the rules changelog. Rules changelog.
Published interest rates and the cleaning rule are now written as dated values, one value from each date. No rule changed and no answer moved.
Adds trash and abandoned items as a deduction, Maine's bar on a fee for ending the tenancy, cap variants for small landlords and older tenants, and owner-occupancy exemptions.
Lease charges a statute's damages wording may cover are 'depends', not 'no'; California late charges only as a valid liquidated-damages clause; New York's cap dated to 2019.
The penalty base follows each statute's words (what was wrongfully withheld, the balance owed, or more than the actual damages) in 24 states; Maryland's remedy for a deposit over the cap.
Penalty exposure on the deposit still held once the deadline passes; no-forwarding-address safe harbors in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, South Carolina and New Hampshire.
Where the statute is silent on depreciation (49 states), an aged item is limited to its remaining value as an estimate; Colorado carpet over ten years old is barred.
Cleaning is typed per state, as named in the statute or recoverable only as damage beyond normal wear; a cleaning line of unknown kind is 'depends', never refused outright.
Loss of the right to withhold is typed per state and computed into the totals; consequences the tool does not compute are listed as unknowns.
Review fixes: inclusive tenancy thresholds, state holiday sets, Los Angeles and Maryland interest per rate year, Florida's notice of claim, Colorado's carpet and paint limits.
Each rule we apply in Arkansas, with the day it took its current form.
| Rule | In this form since | Version |
|---|---|---|
| Deductions | October 15, 2026 | sd-2026.11.19 |
| Deposit cap | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.0 |
| Interest | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.0 |
| Itemized statement and records | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.0 |
| Notes | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.1 |
| Penalties | October 10, 2026 | sd-2026.10.18 |
| Points the tool does not compute | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.3 |
| Recent amendments | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.0 |
| Return deadline | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.0 |
| Statute | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.0 |
| Statute text | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.0 |
| Who the law covers | October 10, 2026 | sd-2026.10.23 |
The same history is available as JSON. The API is free and needs no key.
/v1/rules/changes?state=AR&since=2026-01-01/v1/rules/history?rule=deposit-settlement/states/AR%23return/v1/rules/as-of?rule=deposit-settlement/states/AR&known=2026-10-01&valid=2025-12-01