Arkansas Security Deposit Rules (2026): The 60-Day Deadline, the Small-Landlord Exemption and Cleaning Charges

Arkansas gives landlords more time to return a security deposit than most states, 60 days, and it exempts many small landlords from the deposit statute altogether. Knowing which rules apply to your rental, and what you can do to protect yourself either way, makes the difference at move-out. This guide explains the Arkansas rules in plain English, what can be deducted, and how to leave a rental in Little Rock, North Little Rock or Conway so cleaning costs you nothing.

Arkansas deposit rules at a glance

• Statute: Arkansas Code 18-16-301 to 18-16-306
• Deposit cap: two months’ rent
• Return deadline: 60 days after the tenancy ends and you hand back possession
• Deductions: unpaid rent and damage caused by not following the rental agreement, itemized in writing within the same 60 days
• Wrongful withholding: a court can award the money due plus twice the amount wrongfully withheld, with costs and reasonable attorney’s fees
• Small-landlord exemption: owners who, with family and related entities, own five or fewer units are exempt, unless a third party manages the property for a fee

This is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, so check the current statute or ask a legal aid office about your situation.

Does the statute apply to your rental?

The first question is who your landlord is. If you rent from a property management company, or from an owner with more than five units, the deposit rules apply. If you rent a house or duplex from an individual who owns five or fewer units and manages them personally, the statute may not apply, and your lease is what governs the deposit. Ask your landlord or manager at the start of the lease, and read the deposit clause carefully. Either way, the steps below protect you.

The 60-day deadline

Within 60 days after the tenancy ends and you deliver possession, the landlord must return the deposit, or return what is left with a written, itemized list of the deductions. Give your forwarding address in writing when you hand back the keys and keep a dated copy. If a refund can’t be delivered and the landlord can’t find you after a reasonable effort, the money can eventually become the landlord’s, so an up-to-date address matters.

What can and cannot be deducted

An Arkansas landlord can deduct unpaid rent and the cost of damage caused by your failure to follow the rental agreement. The statute doesn’t define ordinary wear and tear, but courts and leases generally treat normal aging of a home differently from damage.

How common move-out problems are usually treated

What the landlord finds	Usually
Faded paint, light scuffs	Ordinary wear
Small nail holes	Ordinary wear
Carpet worn in walkways	Ordinary wear
Greasy oven, dirty fridge, soap scum	Chargeable cleaning if it was clean at move-in
Mildew left to build up in bathrooms	Often charged as cleaning
Pet stains and odor	Chargeable
Belongings left in the garage or yard	Chargeable removal

Protect the deposit from the day you move in

Arkansas law doesn’t require a move-in checklist, so make your own. On the first day, walk every room with your phone, take dated photos and a short video, and open the oven, fridge, dishwasher, cabinets and closets. Note anything already dirty or damaged, including mildew in the shower, dusty ceiling fans, stained carpet and marks on walls. Email the list and a few photos to the landlord within the first week and keep the reply. If the home wasn’t clean when you moved in, that record limits what can be charged when you leave.

What Little Rock-area landlords look at

• The kitchen: inside the oven, fridge, microwave and cabinets, and the range hood
• Bathrooms: tubs, showers and glass, and mildew on grout and caulk
• Window sills, tracks and screens, where pine pollen collects in spring
• Ceiling fans, vents and returns
• The garage, screened porch and yard, which should be swept and clear

Humidity and mildew: the Arkansas deduction to avoid

Long, humid summers make mildew the most Arkansas-specific cleaning problem at move-out. Black specks on grout and caulk, a musty closet or a mildewed shower curtain can turn into a cleaning charge if they were not there at move-in. Run bathroom fans, keep the air conditioning on until you leave, and clean grout and caulk in the weeks before you move rather than on the last day. Mold that covers a large area or follows a leak should be reported to the landlord in writing as soon as you see it, because that is a repair issue, not your cleaning job.

Students in Conway, families at Little Rock Air Force Base

Leases near the University of Central Arkansas and Hendrix College often end in May, and cleaning slots fill up fast around the end of the semester; book two or three weeks ahead and agree with roommates in writing who cleans which room and how the deposit is split. Military families moving to or from Little Rock Air Force Base often have fixed report dates. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act lets service members end a lease early in certain situations with proper notice; ask your installation’s legal office how it applies, and book the clean for the day after the movers.

Your own move-out photos

Arkansas law doesn’t require landlords to take move-out photos, so your own record matters as much at the end as at the start. On the day the clean is finished, walk the home in the same order as your move-in photos and take wide shots of each room, then close-ups of the oven, fridge, tub and shower, grout, ceiling fans, carpets and the garage floor. Ask the landlord to walk through with you if possible, and note in writing anything you disagree with on the day.

If your deposit isn’t returned

Write to the landlord first, citing Arkansas Code 18-16-305, the date you handed back possession and your forwarding address. If 60 days pass with no refund or itemized list, or the deductions look wrong, small claims court in your county handles most deposit disputes without a lawyer. A court can award twice the amount wrongfully withheld, although a landlord who shows an honest mistake or a good-faith dispute may owe only the amount withheld and costs. Legal Aid of Arkansas and the Center for Arkansas Legal Services have free information for renters.

A move-out plan that protects your deposit

• Two to three weeks out: find your move-in photos and lease, and book your clean
• The week before: clean grout and caulk, and keep the AC running
• The day before: defrost and empty the fridge and freezer
• Moving day: remove everything, including the garage, porch and storage
• Cleaning day: kitchen, bathrooms, sills, tracks, fans and floors, then photograph each room
• Key return: give your forwarding address in writing and keep a copy

Our move-out cleaning starts at $190 and follows the checklist Arkansas landlords use. See what Arkansas move-out cleans have cost, find move-out cleaning in your Arkansas town, such as North Little Rock or Conway, or get a free quote.