Deposit Refund & Interest in South Africa
What you're actually owed when a lease ends, how the interest is worked out, and the exact deadline it's due by — one calculator and two guides, in one place.
Quick Answer
You're owed the deposit plus every rand of interest it earned, minus only lawful deductions. That's due within 7 days of your lease ending if nothing is owed, or 14 days after a joint inspection if deductions were agreed. Work out your own number below, then check the rate and the deadline that actually apply to you.
Getting a deposit back sounds simple until you're the one doing the maths. How much interest has it actually earned? Which deadline applies — the 7-day one or the 14-day one? And what can a landlord lawfully take off the top? Three different questions, one page. Start with the calculator for your own numbers, then use the two guides below for the parts that trip most people up: the interest rate, and the deadline.
What You're Actually Owed
The formula is simple even when the situation isn't: original deposit, plus interest earned over the full tenancy, minus only deductions for damage beyond fair wear and tear or confirmed unpaid rent and utilities. Fair wear and tear — scuff marks, faded paint, normal carpet wear — is never deductible, no matter what a lease says. A landlord who tries it is in breach of the Rental Housing Act, not just being difficult.
Enter your deposit, dates and any agreed deductions for the full breakdown.
Deposit Refund Calculator →How the Interest Is Actually Worked Out
There's no fixed percentage in the Act — it just requires the landlord to invest your deposit in an interest-bearing account, and pay you whatever that account earned. In practice that's usually 6–7% a year on an ordinary SA savings account in 2026. The gap between a landlord who can produce a bank statement and one who can't is the difference between a straightforward refund and a Tribunal complaint. We've broken down the rate, simple vs compound interest, and a full worked example in how rental deposit interest is calculated.
When It's Due — 7 Days or 14 Days
This is the number most people get wrong, because both deadlines are correct, they just answer different situations. No deductions owed: 7 days from lease expiry. Deductions agreed after a joint outgoing inspection: 14 days from the date the property is restored to the landlord — not from the lease end date, which is exactly where the confusion starts. The full breakdown, including what happens if a tenant won't schedule an inspection, is in 7 days or 14 days? The deposit refund rule explained.
See your exact deadline date once you've entered your lease dates above.
Check My Deadline →If It Doesn't Arrive on Time
A landlord who misses the deadline is in breach of the Act, and the remedy doesn't require a lawyer. Send a written letter of demand first. If that goes nowhere, the Rental Housing Tribunal in your province handles deposit disputes for free, and its rulings carry the same force as a court order. The wider set of landlord and tenant obligations under the Act — not just deposits — is covered in our Rental Housing Act guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
The original deposit plus every rand of interest it earned, minus only lawful deductions for damage beyond fair wear and tear or confirmed unpaid rent and utilities. There is no other basis for a landlord to hold back part of your deposit — normal wear and tear, ageing paint and general cleaning are not deductible.
7 days from lease expiry if nothing is owed. 14 days from the date the dwelling is restored to the landlord if deductions were agreed after a joint outgoing inspection — that clock starts from the inspection, not the lease end date, so the two deadlines can land on very different dates.
Whatever the landlord's chosen interest-bearing account actually paid — the Act sets no fixed percentage. In 2026 an ordinary SA savings account typically pays around 6–7% a year. If your landlord can't show you the account or the rate, that's a sign the deposit may never have been properly invested.
The landlord is in breach of the Rental Housing Act. Send a written letter of demand first, then approach the Rental Housing Tribunal in your province — it's free, and its rulings carry the same force as a court order. Tenants don't need an attorney to lodge a complaint.
One calculator — the Deposit Interest & Refund Calculator, which works out interest, deductions and the applicable deadline in one pass — plus two guides: how the interest rate itself is calculated, and which deadline (7 or 14 days) actually applies to your lease.