Law and guidance checked on 21 October 2026.
If an apartment deposit is not returned in Russia, first establish what the payment means under your agreement. The everyday word “deposit” may describe a security payment, last-month advance or another sum. Repayment rights, timing and deductions depend on the contract and how the tenancy ended. Handing over keys alone does not automatically prove either no outstanding obligations or a right for the landlord to keep everything.
The agreement
Check payment purpose, secured obligations and repayment terms.
Property handover
Record condition, keys, meter readings and specific remarks.
The calculation
Challenge individual deductions and claim the substantiated balance.
When a security payment is repayable
Civil Code Article 381.1 allows a payment to secure a monetary obligation, including damages or a contractual penalty. If agreed circumstances occur, the sum is applied to the relevant obligation. If they do not occur within the agreed period, or the secured obligation ends, repayment follows unless the parties agreed otherwise.
Read the whole agreement: permitted applications, reconciliation and the repayment deadline. A “non-refundable deposit” label does not remove the need to assess the basis, applicable law and facts; equally, repayment cannot be promised regardless of every agreed condition.
An ordinary security payment differs from earnest money. Do not automatically demand twice the amount merely because informal correspondence used the word “deposit”.
Early departure and the final month
For residential tenancy, Article 687 permits the tenant, with the consent of other permanently resident occupants, to terminate on three months’ written notice to the landlord. Check your agreement and any agreement to end earlier as well. Quietly leaving and assuming every obligation has ended is risky.
Preserve written confirmation if a different termination date and settlement were agreed. Identify the charging period and any surviving obligations separately. Property handover, contract termination and repayment of security may be evidenced by different documents.
Do not unilaterally replace the last rental payment with the deposit. Establish the right to apply it and document agreement first; otherwise a refund dispute can also produce a claim for unpaid rent.
Deductions to examine
| Deduction | Evidence to request | Compare against |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | Period, rate, payments and when charging ends | Agreement, notice and termination settlement |
| Utilities | Bills, readings and allocation of liability | Article 678 and contractual terms |
| Damage | Description, photos, causation and restoration calculation | Original condition, inventory and handover act |
| Cleaning or a contractual sanction | Contract clause, triggering facts and calculation | Actual condition and agreed duties |
Ordinary use and damage should not be equated without assessing condition, age and the agreement. Request evidence of both the defect and amount. A desire to renovate the entire apartment does not establish that you caused the whole refurbishment cost.
Proving handover and calculating the balance
- Keep the agreement, inventory, security-payment receipt or transfer and all other payments.
- Prepare a return act recording date, disputed items, keys, meters and specific remarks.
- Take detailed photos or video and compare them with move-in records. Preserve originals and meeting correspondence.
- If the landlord does not attend or sign, propose handover in writing and document what happened. Do not abandon keys without transfer evidence.
- Request a separate balance calculation and, for awaited utility bills, the agreed reserve amount and reconciliation deadline.
Hypothetical example: a RUB 50,000 security payment secures agreed, substantiated deductions of RUB 4,000 for utilities and RUB 6,000 for established damage. The remainder is 50,000 − 4,000 − 6,000 = RUB 40,000. If deductions are disputed, do not describe them as agreed in your claim; set out the calculation and objections separately.
Deposit repayment claim template
To [landlord name and address]. From [tenant and contact]. Under the residential tenancy dated [date] for [address], I paid security of [amount], evidenced by [document]. The agreement ended on [date and basis]; the property and keys were returned on [date and document]. Repayment is due under clause [number]. Please return [balance] to [details]. Please substantiate any proposed deductions with contractual grounds, a calculation and documents. I dispute deduction [item] because [reasons]. Attachments: [agreement, payment, handover and correspondence]. Date and signature.
If the agreement neither sets a deadline nor allows one to be determined, assess Civil Code Article 314(2): its general rule is seven days after a demand unless another period follows from law, the terms or the nature of the obligation. This is not a universal deadline for every tenancy.
If the claim remains unpaid
Address the correct contractual party and verify any agent’s role and receipt of money using the documents. Preserve delivery and response evidence. For litigation, establish why repayment is due, the balance, termination and handover, and objections to deductions.
A private tenant–landlord dispute should not automatically be pleaded as a consumer claim carrying Consumer Protection Law penalties. Assess party status, the nature of the activity and legal classification separately. Late-payment interest and legal expenses also need their own grounds and calculation.
Failure to repay voluntarily does not alone prove fraud. Do not substitute public accusations for a documented monetary demand. If there are separate indications of a crime, identify concrete facts and preserve evidence for the competent authority.
Check your rental-deposit claim
Frequently asked questions
Must the deposit always be returned on move-out day?
No. Timing follows the agreement and applicable law; agreed utility reconciliation may be relevant. Ask for a specific process rather than indefinite waiting.
Can I simply skip the last month’s rent?
Not automatically. Check application terms and agree it, otherwise a separate debt may arise.
Does having no move-in act mean I lose?
Not necessarily. Collect other admissible evidence, including photographs, correspondence, inventories, payments and handover records. The whole factual record matters.
Can one scratch justify keeping the entire sum?
Check the basis and amount under the agreement and evidence. A remark alone does not establish any amount of alleged loss.