14 DCMR § 14-308
SECURITY DEPOSITS
Operative Text
308.1 For purposes of this chapter, the term “security deposit” shall mean all monies paid to the owner by the tenant as a deposit or other payment made as security for performance of the tenant’s obligations in a lease or rental of the property. 308.2 On or after February 20, 1976, any security deposit or other payment required by an owner as security for performance of the tenant’s obligations in a lease or rental of a dwelling unit shall not exceed an amount equivalent to the first full month’s rent charged that tenant for the dwelling unit, and shall be charged only once by the owner to the tenant. 308.3 All monies paid to an owner by tenants for security deposits or other payment made as security for performance of the tenant’s obligations shall be deposited by the owner in an interest bearing escrow account established and held in trust in a financial institution in the District of Columbia insured by a federal or state agency for the sole purposes of holding such deposits or payments. 308.4 All monies held by an owner on February 20, 1976 for security deposits or other payments covered by this section shall be paid into an escrow account within thirty (30) days. 308.5 The owner of more than one residential building may establish one (1) escrow account for holding security deposits or other payments by the tenants of those buildings. 308.6 For each security deposit or other payment covered by this section, the owner shall clearly state in the lease or agreement or on the receipt for the deposit or other payment the terms and conditions under which the payment was made. 308.7 The housing provider shall post in the lobby of the building and rental office at the end of each calendar year, the following information: Where the tenants’ security deposits are held and what the prevailing rate was for each 6-month period over the past year. At the end of a tenant’s tenancy, the housing provider shall list for the tenant the interest rate for each 6-month period during the tenancy. 308.8 The provisions of this section shall not be applicable to Federal or District of Columbia agencies’ dwelling units leased in the District of Columbia or to units for which rents are Federally subsidized.
Under D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-308, security deposits in the District of Columbia are capped at one month's rent and may only be collected once per tenancy. Collected funds must be held in an interest-bearing escrow account at a federally or state-insured D.C. financial institution, and owners are required to disclose deposit terms in writing and post annual interest-rate information in the building lobby. These requirements do not apply to federal or D.C. agency units or federally subsidized rentals.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators subject to D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-308 generally collect no more than one month's rent as a security deposit, charge it only once, and promptly deposit those funds into a dedicated interest-bearing escrow account at an insured D.C. institution. Compliant landlords document the deposit terms clearly in the lease or on the receipt, and each year they post in the building lobby and rental office the name of the escrow institution and the prevailing interest rates for each six-month period. At the end of a tenancy, they provide the tenant with a breakdown of the interest rate applied during each six-month interval of that tenancy.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-308 gives tenants the right to have their security deposit capped at one month's rent, held in an insured escrow account, and accompanied by written disclosure of the deposit terms. Tenants can look for the annual lobby posting showing where deposits are held and what interest rates applied, and at move-out they are entitled to a period-by-period interest-rate accounting. Tenants who believe these requirements have not been met may consider contacting the D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate or a local tenant-rights organization to understand available remedies.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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