Connecticut Security Deposit Laws: Limits, Age Rule and Escrow
Connecticut caps a security deposit at two months' rent, and at one month if the tenant is 62 or older. The deposit belongs to the tenant and must be held in an escrow account at a Connecticut bank.
Most tenants in Connecticut cannot be asked for a security deposit larger than two months' rent. For a tenant under 62, the ceiling is two months' rent [1]. On $1,500 a month, that means the deposit cannot go above $3,000 [2].
Two months' rent is the ceiling, not a required amount. A landlord may ask for less, or for nothing, and many leases set a smaller figure. To go further, see Bridgeport CT vs Stamford CT Cost of Living: Which Costs Less?
The cap applies to the deposit amount the landlord demands, not to the total you pay at move-in. Rent paid in advance is a separate payment. Check that the deposit line on your lease, and any request for a deposit by text or email, stays within two months' rent [3]. For more detail, see Average Rent in Bridgeport CT: What Renters Pay in 2026.
Key point: the two-month limit is the most a landlord can demand from a tenant under 62 [1].
What is the deposit limit for tenants under 62?
For a tenant under 62, a Connecticut landlord cannot demand a security deposit larger than two months' rent. This limit is set in Connecticut General Statutes § 47a-21. [1] Learn more in How Arkansas landlord–tenant laws work and what to do next.
Here is what that looks like in practice. If your rent is $1,500 a month, the deposit cap is $3,000, which is two months at that rate. A landlord who asks for $3,500 is asking for more than the statute allows. [1]
The same math works for any rent. At $1,200 a month, the cap is $2,400. At $2,000 a month, the cap is $4,000. In each case, you multiply the monthly rent by two. [1]
The cap is set by state law, so a lease cannot raise it. A clause asking for a larger deposit does not override the statute, which says a landlord shall not demand more than two months' rent for a tenant under 62. [1]
Does the deposit limit change if you are 62 or older?
If you are 62 or older, Connecticut lowers the security deposit cap to one month's rent. [4] The limit turns on the tenant's age, so your age sets the ceiling. [4]
For a tenant 62 or older, the deposit cap is $1,500, which is one month's rent. [4] A tenant under 62 in the same apartment can be asked for two months' rent, or $3,000. [2]
On $2,000 a month, the cap is $2,000 for a tenant 62 or older and $4,000 for a tenant under 62. [4] The gap equals one month's rent, so it grows as rent rises.
If a landlord asks a tenant 62 or older for two months' rent, the request is above the cap for that tenant's age. [4] Point to the one-month limit before you sign, and do not pay a deposit above it.
Where must a landlord keep your security deposit?
Your security deposit belongs to you from day one, not to the landlord. The landlord holds it only as insurance against possible damage to the unit. [5]
Connecticut law also controls where that money is kept. Landlords are legally required to place your security deposit into an escrow account in a bank located in Connecticut. [6]
For you, this means the deposit should not sit in the landlord's everyday business account. Ask at signing which Connecticut bank holds the escrow account, and get the bank's name in writing. Ask for those details before you hand over any money, not after.
Imagine you pay the deposit at signing and move out a year later. The landlord still has to return that same money from the escrow account, because it was never the landlord's to spend. Keep a receipt or canceled check showing the amount and the date you paid. That record is your proof if a dispute comes up at move-out.
Where can you confirm the rules for your lease?
To confirm the rules for your lease, start with the state's official page, then read the statute itself.
The state publishes its current rental security deposit rules on the Rental Security Deposits page on portal.ct.gov [4]. Check that page first, because it gives the plain summary of the limits that apply to tenants.
For the exact cap wording, read Connecticut General Statutes § 47a-21 [1]. The statute is the legal text, so use its wording when you question a deposit.
Then compare your lease's deposit amount with the cap for your age. Find the monthly rent and the deposit line in your lease, and work out the cap yourself. If the deposit is higher, raise it with your landlord in writing.