If there are no damages, the deposit must be refunded within 7 days of expiration of the lease.
If there are damages, the deposit must be refunded within 14 days of restoration of the property. Damages includes all
amounts for which the tenant is liable under the lease such as arrear rent or utilities, the final utility bill,
reasonable cost for repairs for damages, replacing lost keys etc. In most cases the landlord / Property Practitioner will have to
wait for the final utility accounts before refunding the deposit.
The tenant has a right to copies of the receipts of payments incurred by the landlord for the repairs.
Please also refer to section on incoming and outgoing inspections
RHA
Section 5 Provisions pertaining to the lease
(3)
(g)
on the expiration of the lease, the landlord may apply such deposit and interest towards the payment of all amounts
for which the tenant is liable under the said lease, including the reasonable cost of repairing damage to the
dwelling during the lease period and the cost of replacing lost keys and the balance of the deposit and interest,
if any, must then be refunded to the tenant by the landlord not later than 14 days of restoration of the dwelling
to the landlord;
(h)
the relevant receipts which indicate the costs which the landlord incurred, as contemplated in paragraph (g), must
be available to the tenant for inspection as proof of such costs incurred by the landlord;
(i)
should no amounts be due and owing to the landlord in terms of the lease, the deposit, together with the accrued
interest in respect thereof, must be refunded by the landlord to the tenant, without any deduction or set-off,
within seven days of expiration of the lease;
Please see TPN's
video on the Consumer Protection Act for more information.