Free Nevada Security Deposit Itemization — overview

A Nevada Security Deposit Itemization is the itemized, written accounting of the disposition of the security deposit that NRS § 118A.242(4) requires a landlord to give the tenant when a tenancy ends, together with any portion of the deposit that remains. The landlord may claim only what is reasonably necessary to cover unpaid rent, repair damage caused by the tenant other than normal wear, and pay the reasonable costs of cleaning. The accounting and the balance are due no later than 30 days after the tenancy terminates, handed to the tenant at the place where rent is paid or mailed to the tenant’s present or last known address. A landlord who fails or refuses to return the remainder within 30 days is liable for the entire deposit plus up to the amount of the deposit again (NRS § 118A.242(6)). The form on this page produces a complete itemized statement with a built-in deductions calculator; the rest of this guide walks through the legal framework, the deductible-versus-non-deductible standard, and the documentation that makes a deduction defensible.

What this itemization does

A Nevada Security Deposit Itemization is the written statement a landlord must deliver to a tenant under NRS § 118A.242 at the end of a tenancy. It accomplishes three distinct things at the same time.

First, it explains every deduction. NRS § 118A.242(4) requires an itemized, written accounting of the disposition of the deposit, and limits what may be claimed to amounts reasonably necessary for unpaid rent, damage other than normal wear, and cleaning. A general statement that “deductions were made for cleaning and damage” tells the tenant nothing. Each deduction should stand on its own, identified by category and described with enough specificity that the tenant and a court can evaluate whether it is for damage or for normal wear and tear, and whether the amount is reasonable.

Second, it returns the deposit balance. NRS § 118A.242(4) requires the landlord to provide the accounting and return any remaining portion of the deposit no later than 30 days after the tenancy terminates. The remedy in § 118A.242(6) is tied to failing or refusing to return that remainder on time — so the balance, not just the paperwork, has to go out within the 30 days.

Third, it satisfies the timing rule. The 30 days in NRS § 118A.242(4) run from the termination of the tenancy — not from the date the tenant gave notice. Missing the deadline exposes the landlord to the § 118A.242(6) damages even if every deduction was valid; the court then weighs the landlord’s good faith under § 118A.242(7).

The form on this page produces a complete itemized statement with a built-in deductions calculator, automatic balance computation, the required statutory references, and a delivery certification block. The remainder of this guide walks through the legal framework, the deductible-versus-non-deductible standard, and the documentation requirements that make a deduction defensible.

Nevada legal framework — NRS § 118A.242

The Nevada security deposit rules are in NRS §§ 118A.240 through 118A.250 of the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. NRS § 118A.240 defines what counts as a security deposit, NRS § 118A.242 sets the cap, the permitted claims, the accounting and return deadline, and the damages, and NRS § 118A.244 governs what happens to deposits when the property changes hands.

The provisions that matter for itemization

NRS § 118A.242(4) — 30-day accounting and return. The landlord “shall provide the tenant with an itemized, written accounting of the disposition of the security deposit or surety bond, or a combination thereof, and return any remaining portion of the security deposit to the tenant no later than 30 days after the termination of the tenancy.” The accounting and the balance are handed to the tenant personally at the place where the rent is paid, or mailed to the tenant at the tenant’s present address or, if that is unknown, the last known address.

NRS § 118A.240 and § 118A.242(4) — what may be claimed. A security deposit is any payment, deposit, fee or charge used to remedy the tenant’s default in paying rent, repair damage to the premises other than normal wear caused by the tenant, or clean the dwelling unit. When the tenancy ends, the landlord may claim “only such amounts as are reasonably necessary” for those three purposes. Nevada sets no dollar threshold above which receipts must be attached; the reasonableness of each amount is what the landlord has to be able to show.

NRS § 118A.242(4) — normal wear. Repairs are claimable only for “damages to the premises caused by the tenant other than normal wear.” This is the statutory anchor for the wear-versus-damage distinction: an amount spent restoring the ordinary effects of occupancy is not an amount the deposit may cover.

NRS § 118A.242(6)–(7) — damages for a late or missing refund. “If the landlord fails or refuses to return the remainder of a security deposit within 30 days after the end of a tenancy, the landlord is liable to the tenant for damages” in an amount equal to the entire security deposit, and for a sum to be fixed by the court of not more than the amount of the entire deposit. In setting that second sum the court considers whether the landlord acted in good faith, the course of conduct between the parties, and the degree of harm to the tenant.

The deposit cap, surety bonds and “nonrefundable” clauses

NRS § 118A.242(1) caps the security deposit, any surety bond, or both — including the last month’s rent — at three months’ periodic rent. A tenant may buy a surety bond in lieu of all or part of the deposit only if the landlord consents, and the landlord may not require one (§ 118A.242(2)–(3)). Except for a reasonable nonrefundable cleaning charge, no rental agreement may call any part of the deposit nonrefundable or waive the tenant’s rights under § 118A.242; such a clause is void (§ 118A.242(8)). If the tenant disputes an item that the landlord claims against a surety bond, a written response to the surety within 30 days keeps the surety from reporting the claim to a credit agency unless it obtains a judgment (§ 118A.242(5)). See our Nevada Move-In/Move-Out Checklist guide for documenting condition at the start and end of the tenancy.

Federal anti-discrimination overlay

Independent of NRS § 118A.242, the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.) and Nevada’s fair housing law (NRS 118.010 to 118.120) prohibit deposit-handling decisions that target tenants based on race, religion, national origin, familial status, disability, or other protected characteristics. A landlord who consistently charges higher cleaning fees to families with children, or who applies different deduction standards to tenants of certain backgrounds, exposes themselves to fair-housing claims with their own remedies — separate from the NRS § 118A.242(6) damages.

When and how to deliver

The 30-day clock

The Nevada clock runs from the termination of the tenancy (NRS § 118A.242(4)). In practice that is usually the date the tenant surrenders possession and returns the keys at the end of the rental agreement; it is not the date the tenant gave notice. If the tenant leaves early or the end date is disputed, document the surrender date carefully (key handover, walk-through photographs, written tenant acknowledgment).

Within those 30 days the landlord must do both of the following: provide the itemized, written accounting, and return any remaining portion of the deposit. The damages in § 118A.242(6) attach to failing or refusing to return the remainder within 30 days, so a statement without the balance does not protect the landlord.

Method of delivery

NRS § 118A.242(4) names two methods: handing the accounting and the balance to the tenant personally at the place where the rent is paid, or mailing them to the tenant’s present address or, if that address is unknown, the tenant’s last known address. The statute does not name email. Certified mail with a return receipt is the most practical way to prove the mailing date; first-class mail is permitted but leaves you without proof of when it went out.

Delivery address

Mail to the tenant’s present address if you know it; if it is unknown, NRS § 118A.242(4) allows mailing to the tenant’s last known address — often the rented unit itself. An unknown forwarding address does not extend the 30 days.

What to do if you discover damage after delivery

Nevada’s statute does not provide a supplementary-accounting procedure. The practical rule is to inspect thoroughly before you issue the accounting, obtain contractor quotes early, and send one complete accounting within the 30 days.

Worked example

A tenancy terminates on June 30 and the tenant paid a $1,800 deposit. The landlord claims $85 for degreasing the oven and range and $145 for patching and repainting two holes, $230 in total. The itemized accounting and the $1,570 balance must be handed over or mailed by July 30. If the landlord fails or refuses to return that remainder by July 30, NRS § 118A.242(6) exposes the landlord to $1,800 (an amount equal to the entire deposit) plus a further sum of up to $1,800 fixed by the court.

Categories of deductible expenses

Under NRS § 118A.240(1) and § 118A.242(4) the landlord may claim only amounts reasonably necessary for three purposes. A lease clause that tries to add other uses, or to make the deposit nonrefundable, does not change that (§ 118A.242(8)).

1. Unpaid rent

Rent the tenant owes but did not pay can be claimed from the deposit. Document it with the lease (the rent amount), the rent ledger (what was paid and what was missed), and any notices served during the tenancy. Late fees are not one of the three purposes named in NRS § 118A.242(4); do not fold a fee into the rent line.

2. Repair of damage caused by the tenant, other than normal wear

Specific damage attributable to the tenant — large holes, broken fixtures, pet damage, water damage from negligence, missing items — can be claimed. The standard is covered in detail in section 5. Itemize each repair with a description and amount, and keep the receipt, invoice or estimate that supports it.

3. The reasonable costs of cleaning the premises

Nevada names cleaning as its own category: the landlord may claim “the reasonable costs of cleaning the premises.” The word that does the work is reasonable. A professional clean of a unit left filthy is easy to justify; a flat turnover fee charged regardless of condition is harder. Describe what was cleaned and why — “Oven and range degreasing, $85” rather than “cleaning.” A lease may also provide for a nonrefundable cleaning charge in a reasonable amount (§ 118A.242(8)).

4. What is not a permitted claim

Costs outside the three categories are not claims against the deposit under § 118A.242(4) — for example, advertising or leasing commissions for the next tenant, upgrades, or repairs to conditions that pre-dated the tenancy.

What you cannot deduct: Normal wear of any kind, repairs to conditions that existed before the tenancy, the cost of re-letting the unit, improvements, and anything the lease labels “nonrefundable” other than a reasonable cleaning charge.

Wear and tear vs. damage — the standard

The wear-versus-damage distinction is the single most important analytical question in security deposit deductions, and the most common source of deposit disputes. NRS § 118A.242(4) draws the line in its own words — repairs are claimable only for damage caused by the tenant “other than normal wear”: damage can support a deduction; wear cannot. The challenge is identifying which side of the line a given condition falls on.

How the line is usually drawn

Normal wear and tear is the deterioration that occurs in the ordinary use of residential property by a tenant of average care. It is the unavoidable consequence of habitation: paint that fades from sunlight, carpet that flattens in high-traffic areas, minor scuffs on walls from furniture and movement, small nail holes from picture hanging, light scratches on hardwood floors, faint marks on countertops from ordinary use, mineral deposits in bathroom fixtures from normal water use.

Damage is deterioration beyond normal wear caused by the tenant’s negligence, abuse, intentional acts, or pets. Examples: large holes in walls (more than nail-hole size), broken windows, broken fixtures, broken cabinets, pet stains in carpet, pet odor in subfloor or padding, water damage from unreported leaks, smoke damage, missing items, significant cleaning needs from food spills or hoarding, structural damage of any kind.

Borderline cases — and how to resolve them

Most disputes are not at the extremes; they are in the borderline. A few common borderline scenarios and how landlords typically analyze them:

Carpet replacement. Carpets have a useful life of approximately 8–10 years. If a carpet was new at the start of a 5-year tenancy and is replaced at lease end, the