How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in the District of Columbia?

No more than one month's rent, collected once. The cap comes from 14 DCMR 308, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.

What does a District of Columbia landlord have to disclose with the lease?

Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the District of Columbia checklist has six items: the rent, any pending petitions and surcharges, how often rent may rise, and the rent control or exemption status of the Premises with the business license and registration or exemption claim; housing code violation reports for the Premises for the past 12 months; and the amount of the security deposit, its interest rate and how it is returned. The other three are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.

Which District of Columbia statutes does this lease cite?

14 DCMR 308, 14 DCMR 309, 14 DCMR 311, D.C. Code 42-3505.51, D.C. Code 42-3202 and D.C. Code 42-3502.22, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.

Should a lawyer look at this District of Columbia lease before I use it?

It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the District of Columbia statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with District of Columbia landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

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District of Columbia Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in the District of Columbia. The deposit, notice, entry and disclosure clauses follow the District of Columbia statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

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Page one of the District of Columbia Residential Lease Agreement — Page 1 of the PDF. Tinted boxes are the placed fields, one color per role.

District of Columbia rules in this lease

Security deposit cap: No more than one month's rent, collected once
Deposit return: Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, the Landlord either returns the deposit with interest or sends the Tenant, personally or by certified mail to the last known address, written notice of intent to withhold, and then within 30 days after that notice returns the balance with interest and an itemized statement of the deductions.
Where the deposit is kept: The Landlord keeps the deposit in a separate interest-bearing escrow account at a federally insured institution in the District, tells the Tenant in the lease where it is held and the interest rate, and pays the interest when the tenancy ends.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice expiring on the first day of a month, and the Landlord may recover possession only on a ground the Rental Housing Act allows.
Landlord entry: The Landlord gives written notice at least 48 hours before entering, enters between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and not on a Sunday or federal holiday unless the Tenant agrees otherwise, and needs no notice in an emergency.
Disclosures: 7 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Statutes: 14 DCMR 308, 14 DCMR 309, 14 DCMR 311, D.C. Code 42-3505.51, D.C. Code 42-3202, D.C. Code 42-3502.22. Read the District of Columbia statute
Rules read on: 2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in District of Columbia

Pick the District of Columbia and four parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause, the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy, the entry clause and the disclosures checklist, each rewritten from the District of Columbia statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

Start with the deposit. The District of Columbia caps it at one month's rent, collected once, and the statute also says where the money sits while the tenant lives there. The return rule, quoted in full below, says when and how the deposit comes back, and requires an itemized statement of anything kept and sends the deposit back with interest.

Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy is not symmetrical in the District of Columbia; the two sides give different notice. The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice expiring on the first day of a month, and the Landlord may recover possession only on a ground the Rental Housing Act allows.

Before coming in, the landlord gives notice, and the District of Columbia puts a number on it. The Landlord gives written notice at least 48 hours before entering, enters between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and not on a Sunday or federal holiday unless the Tenant agrees otherwise, and needs no notice in an emergency.

The disclosures checklist carries six District of Columbia items on top of the federal lead paint notice, among them ownership information from the registration form, each with the section that requires it and a line for the landlord's initials.

This row notes no city or county overlay for the District of Columbia; if the property is in a city with its own rental ordinance, check it before signing. The state clauses follow six sections of District of Columbia law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the District of Columbia clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for District of Columbia, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, the Landlord either returns the deposit with interest or sends the Tenant, personally or by certified mail to the last known address, written notice of intent to withhold, and then within 30 days after that notice returns the balance with interest and an itemized statement of the deductions. The deposit may not exceed one month's rent, collected once. The Landlord keeps the deposit in a separate interest-bearing escrow account at a federally insured institution in the District, tells the Tenant in the lease where it is held and the interest rate, and pays the interest when the tenancy ends.

Entry

The Landlord gives written notice at least 48 hours before entering, enters between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and not on a Sunday or federal holiday unless the Tenant agrees otherwise, and needs no notice in an emergency.

Ending the lease and default

The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice expiring on the first day of a month, and the Landlord may recover possession only on a ground the Rental Housing Act allows. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice District of Columbia law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
The rent, any pending petitions and surcharges, how often rent may rise, and the rent control or exemption status of the Premises with the business license and registration or exemption claim (D.C. Code 42-3502.22(b)(1))
Housing code violation reports for the Premises for the past 12 months (D.C. Code 42-3502.22(b)(1)(F))
The amount of the security deposit, its interest rate and how it is returned (D.C. Code 42-3502.22(b)(1)(H))
Ownership information from the registration form (D.C. Code 42-3502.22(b)(1)(J))
Any known mold contamination in the Premises or common areas in the past three years unless remediated by a certified professional (D.C. Code 42-3502.22(b)(1)(K))
The Tenant Bill of Rights from the Office of the Tenant Advocate and the voter registration packet (D.C. Code 42-3502.22(b)(1)(L), (b)(1B))

Footer of the PDF: District of Columbia clauses follow 14 DCMR 308, 14 DCMR 309, 14 DCMR 311, D.C. Code 42-3505.51, D.C. Code 42-3202, D.C. Code 42-3502.22 as read on 2026-10-23.

District of Columbia lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in the District of Columbia?: No more than one month's rent, collected once. The cap comes from 14 DCMR 308, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.
When does the security deposit come back in the District of Columbia?: Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, the Landlord either returns the deposit with interest or sends the Tenant, personally or by certified mail to the last known address, written notice of intent to withhold, and then within 30 days after that notice returns the balance with interest and an itemized statement of the deductions.
Where does a District of Columbia landlord keep the deposit?: The Landlord keeps the deposit in a separate interest-bearing escrow account at a federally insured institution in the District, tells the Tenant in the lease where it is held and the interest rate, and pays the interest when the tenancy ends.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in the District of Columbia?: The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice expiring on the first day of a month, and the Landlord may recover possession only on a ground the Rental Housing Act allows.
How much notice does a District of Columbia landlord give before entering?: The Landlord gives written notice at least 48 hours before entering, enters between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and not on a Sunday or federal holiday unless the Tenant agrees otherwise, and needs no notice in an emergency.
What does a District of Columbia landlord have to disclose with the lease?: Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the District of Columbia checklist has six items: the rent, any pending petitions and surcharges, how often rent may rise, and the rent control or exemption status of the Premises with the business license and registration or exemption claim; housing code violation reports for the Premises for the past 12 months; and the amount of the security deposit, its interest rate and how it is returned. The other three are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.
Which District of Columbia statutes does this lease cite?: 14 DCMR 308, 14 DCMR 309, 14 DCMR 311, D.C. Code 42-3505.51, D.C. Code 42-3202 and D.C. Code 42-3502.22, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this District of Columbia lease before I use it?: It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the District of Columbia statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with District of Columbia landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Who this is for. A District of Columbia lease is one half of a landlord's paperwork; proving a notice was received is the other. Both are covered at free e-signatures for landlords.

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