Newfoundland and Labrador tenancy
Newfoundland and Labrador security deposit return deadline planner
Calculate a ten-day deposit return benchmark and identify the separate ten-day claim response triggered by a tenant application.
Estimate the deposit return benchmark
Under section 14(9), the landlord normally must return the deposit not later than 10 days after the tenant vacates, unless they have a claim for some or all of the deposit. The landlord and tenant may agree in writing on its disposition, or one may apply for the director to decide.
If a tenant files an application for return of the deposit and serves it on the landlord, section 14(11) provides a separate 10-day period for a landlord to apply about the deposit. That clock is triggered by service of the tenant’s application—not by move-out.
Which ten-day clock applies?
- Ten days after vacating—section 14(9): the ordinary period for returning the security deposit, unless the landlord has a claim for all or part of it.
- Ten days after service of the tenant’s application—section 14(11): when a tenant asks the director to decide how the deposit should be handled and serves a copy of that application, the landlord has this separate period to apply to the director concerning the deposit.
If the landlord fails to make an application under section 14(11), section 14(12) requires the deposit to be returned. Under section 14(13), the director may order its return without a hearing where the conditions are met. The landlord’s separate claims unrelated to the deposit are not necessarily extinguished (section 14(14)).
A tenant asking the director to return a deposit is exempt from the usual $20 dispute application fee. These are calendar-day planning estimates, not verified service deadlines. This tool does not decide the merits of a landlord’s claim, calculate the deposit’s accrued interest, or replace proof of proper service.
Related Newfoundland and Labrador resources
Separate landlord-response deadline
Under section 14(11), once a tenant has made and served an application about disposition of the security deposit, the landlord has 10 days from service to apply to the director on that claim. If the landlord does not apply within that period, section 14(12) requires the deposit to be returned; under section 14(13), the director may order return without a hearing in the specified circumstances. This is distinct from the usual 10-day post-vacating return rule under section 14(9).