Alabama Residential Lease Agreement

Deposit: one month's rent, with three exceptions

The security deposit may not exceed one month's periodic rent, except for extra deposits tied to pets, changes to the premises, or increased liability risks to the landlord or premises.

Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-201(a)

60 days to refund, with an itemized list

Within 60 days after the tenancy ends and possession is returned, the landlord must refund the deposit or mail an itemized list of what was kept for unpaid rent or damage. Mailing it first class to the forwarding address the tenant gave in writing is enough.

Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-201(b), (c), (e)

Miss the 60 days and the landlord owes double

A landlord who does not mail a timely refund or accounting must pay the tenant double the amount of the original deposit.

Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-201(f)

Give a forwarding address in writing — or risk forfeiting it

On moving out, the tenant must give the landlord a valid forwarding address in writing. Without one, the landlord mails to the last known address or the rental itself, and any deposit or check left unclaimed for 90 days is forfeited.

Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-201(d)

Ending a periodic tenancy: 7 or 30 days

Either side may end a week-to-week tenancy with written notice at least 7 days before the termination date, and a month-to-month tenancy with written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice. A tenant who willfully holds over can owe up to three months' rent or actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney's fees.

Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-441

Disclose the manager and the owner's agent

At or before the start of the tenancy, the landlord must tell the tenant in writing the name and business address of the person managing the premises and of an owner or agent authorized to receive notices and service of process, and keep that information current. Whoever fails to do so becomes the landlord's agent for those purposes.

Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-202

Landlord entry: two days' notice, a note on the door counts

The tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to entry for inspections, repairs or showings. Without that consent, the landlord may enter only in an emergency, under a court order, with reasonable cause to believe the tenant abandoned or surrendered the home, in the other cases the act lists, or to show it to a prospective tenant or buyer (with that person present) within four months of the lease ending, if the tenant signed a separate notice allowing it. To show the home, the landlord gives at least two days' notice and enters at reasonable times, and a note posted on the main entry door with the time and purpose is valid notice. A tenant who asks for a repair is treated as consenting to entry to make it.

Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-303(a)-(e)

Unpaid rent: 7 business days to pay

If rent is late, the landlord's written notice must state the rent and late fees owed and that the lease ends no sooner than seven business days after the tenant receives it, unless paid in that time. A tenant may cure a breach of the lease no more than two times in any 12-month period without the landlord's written consent, and repeating substantially the same breach within six months of a cured one cannot be cured.

Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-421(b), (d)

No rent withholding; repairs go through a 14-day notice

A tenant in possession may not withhold rent to enforce rights under the act. For a material breach of the landlord's duty to keep the home fit and habitable, the tenant's route is a written notice ending the lease at least 14 days later unless the landlord remedies it, plus actual damages and attorney's fees.

Source: Ala. Code §§35-9A-164, 35-9A-204, 35-9A-401

Terms a lease cannot contain

A lease may not make the tenant waive the act's repair, remedy or deposit rules, confess judgment, pay the landlord's attorney's fees or collection costs, or release the landlord from liability. A landlord who tries to enforce a term known to be prohibited can owe up to one month's rent plus attorney's fees.

Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-163

Abandonment and belongings left behind

A home counts as abandoned if its electric service has been off for seven consecutive days. Property left in the unit more than 14 days after the tenancy ends may be disposed of without any duty to store it.

Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-423(d), (e)

How much security deposit can a landlord charge in Alabama?

In Alabama, the security deposit is limited to 1 month's rent, and it must be returned within 60 days after move-out (as of 2026). Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-201. Confirm the current rule before you sign.

Is this lease valid in Alabama?

A written lease that identifies the parties, the property, the term, and the rent is generally enforceable in Alabama once both sides sign. What it cannot do is contract around Alabama law: the deposit rules, entry notice, and habitability duties below apply whether or not the lease mentions them.

How much notice must a landlord give before entering a rental in Alabama?

Alabama requires at least 48 hours' notice for a non-emergency entry. Source: Ala. Code § 35-9A-303(c) (current as of Dec. 30, 2024).