On 1 August 2024, the maximum rental deposit in Luxembourg dropped from three months' rent to two. The change, introduced by the tenancy reform voted that summer, was confirmed by the official government press release on the revision of the residential lease. For a flat renting at 1,500 euros a month, that single line of law means up to 1,500 euros less to put down on the table when you sign, and a few thousand euros that you absolutely want to recover when you leave. The catch is that getting it back hinges almost entirely on two documents and one habit: the inspection reports, and how clean you leave the place.
If you rent in the south of the country, in Esch-sur-Alzette, Differdange or Dudelange, the rules below apply to you directly. This guide walks through what changed in 2024, how the deposit refund actually works, why the exit inspection decides everything, and where end-of-lease cleaning fits in. It is written for tenants and owners alike, in plain terms, with the official sources linked at each step.
The 2024 tenancy reform: what changed for your deposit
The reform of the residential lease came into force on 1 August 2024 and reshaped several rules that directly affect anyone renting a home. According to the government communiqué on the revision of the rental lease, four changes stand out for tenants.
First, the rental deposit is now capped at two months' rent instead of three. Second, a formal refund procedure was introduced, with precise deadlines and a financial penalty if the landlord fails to respect them. Third, every residential lease must now be put in writing and contain certain mandatory clauses. Fourth, estate-agency commission is split 50/50 between landlord and tenant, where it used to fall mostly on the tenant.
The written-lease requirement matters more than it sounds. The Union Luxembourgeoise des Consommateurs notes that the lease must now be in writing under penalty of nullity. A clear written contract, paired with proper inspection reports, is your best protection if a disagreement arises when you hand back the keys.
Rental deposit: a 2-month cap and a two-step refund
The deposit, or garantie locative, is the sum the landlord holds to cover unpaid rent or damage. Since the reform it cannot exceed two months of rent, charges excluded. Any clause in your lease demanding more is simply not valid. If you signed before August 2024 with a three-month deposit, the change applies to new contracts, so check what your own lease actually says.
Getting the money back happens in two stages, not one. The official consumer guidance from the Union Luxembourgeoise des Consommateurs sets it out clearly: the landlord must return the first half within one month of the keys being handed back, and the balance within one month of receiving the final service-charge statement (the décompte des charges). The Ministry of Housing FAQ on the residential lease describes the same two-step timing, conditional on a clean exit inspection and rent that is fully paid.
Why two steps? Because charges such as heating or water are often settled annually, so the landlord keeps a portion until the year-end accounts are known. The key point for you: the first half should arrive quickly, within a month of moving out, provided nothing is wrong with the property.
The exit inspection decides whether you keep your deposit
Everything hinges on two inspection reports, the état des lieux. The entry inspection records the condition of the home when you move in; the exit inspection records its condition when you leave. The difference between the two is what the landlord may, or may not, charge against your deposit.
The entry inspection is not optional. According to guichet.lu, the official citizens' portal, an inspection is mandatory whenever the tenant pays a deposit, which is almost always the case. It must be contradictory, meaning both tenant and landlord can record their own observations and respond to the other side. Crucially, the same source states that without an entry inspection the landlord cannot use the deposit to cover damage, because there is no agreed baseline to compare against at the end.
The practical takeaway is simple. Insist on a written entry inspection, photograph every room the day you move in, keep those photos, and do the same on the way out. When the exit inspection matches the entry one and the rent is paid, the landlord has no grounds to keep your money, as the Union Luxembourgeoise des Consommateurs confirms that retained amounts must be based on what is recorded and agreed in the exit inspection report.
Fair wear and tear or damage? The line that matters
This is where most disputes happen, and where the law is firmly on the tenant's side. Not everything the landlord notices at the exit can be charged to you. Guichet.lu states that deterioration resulting from ordinary use, ageing or the passage of time is not considered rental damage and must not be put on the tenant's account.
In concrete terms, faded paint after several years, a carpet worn by normal footfall, slightly loosened door hinges or a tap that has lost its shine are fair wear and tear. You do not pay for them. By contrast, a cracked tile, a hole punched in a wall, a burn on the worktop or a stain ground deep into the carpet are damage, and those are yours to repair or compensate.
The grey zone is dirt. A home left genuinely dirty, with greasy filters, a limescaled bathroom or an oven coated in baked-on grime, is not wear and tear: it is a failure to return the property in a proper state, and the landlord can deduct the cost of cleaning it. That is precisely why a thorough end-of-lease clean is not a nicety but a financial safeguard for your deposit.
Room-by-room end-of-lease cleaning to avoid deductions
A move-out clean is more demanding than the weekly tidy-up, because the inspector looks in places you usually skip. Here is what tends to draw deductions, room by room.
Kitchen. This is the number-one source of disputes. Degrease the extractor hood and its filter, clean the oven inside and out, descale the sink and taps, wipe inside every cupboard and pull out the fridge to clean behind and underneath it. In the south of the country, where the water is hard, limescale on taps and the kettle is the first thing an inspector spots.
Bathroom. Attack limescale on the shower screen, taps and tiles, clean the grout, descale the toilet thoroughly and check the silicone joints for mould. A bathroom that gleams sends a strong signal that the whole home was looked after.
Living areas and bedrooms. Wash the windows inside and out, clean sills and radiators, wipe skirting boards and switches, and remove every trace and adhesive mark left by pictures or shelves. If the floors are carpeted, a deep clean often makes the difference between a clean exit report and a deduction.
Throughout. Dust light fittings, clean interior doors and handles, empty and wipe every storage space, and do not forget the entrance, the cellar and any shared annex. The goal is a home that matches its entry-inspection condition, give or take normal wear.
Late refund: your recourse and the 10% monthly penalty
The reform gave tenants real teeth against landlords who drag their feet. The Ministry of Housing's official FAQ on the residential lease sets out the rule: if the landlord does not return the deposit within the legal deadlines, without a valid reason, a penalty of 10% of the monthly rent (excluding charges) is due for each month of delay.
There is a procedure to trigger it. You first send the landlord a formal reminder by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt (a mise en demeure) requesting payment of the deposit you are owed. If the landlord still fails to pay without justification, the monthly penalty starts to run. Keep proof of when you handed back the keys, the exit inspection report and the registered letter: together they form the file you would need before the justice of the peace if it ever came to that.
The lesson cuts both ways. For tenants, the penalty is a genuine lever; for landlords, returning the deposit on time is far cheaper than letting a delay snowball. A clean exit inspection, which a proper move-out clean makes far more likely, removes most of the reasons a refund is held up in the first place.
Hiring an end-of-lease cleaning service in southern Luxembourg
Between packing boxes, the removal van and handing over the keys, finding the time and equipment for a deep, inspection-grade clean is the last thing most people manage. This is exactly where a professional team pays for itself: the cost of the clean is almost always lower than the deduction an inspector would apply to a home left in a poor state.
Our end-of-lease cleaning service is built around the exit inspection. We work to a room-by-room checklist, bring professional equipment for limescale, baked-on grease and tired carpets, and leave the home in a condition that stands up to scrutiny on inspection day. We serve private customers across the south of Luxembourg, including Esch-sur-Alzette, Differdange and Dudelange.
Moving out and want your deposit back in full?
Let Fast Clean handle the end-of-lease clean so your exit inspection goes smoothly. We work in private homes across the south of Luxembourg.
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- Gouvernement du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg – Revision of the residential rental lease (deposit reduced to 2 months, refund procedure, mandatory written lease, 50/50 agency fees). Accessed June 8, 2026.
- Guichet.lu – Inspection report for a residential lease (mandatory entry inspection, contradictory document, no deposit retention without entry inspection, wear and tear not chargeable). Accessed June 8, 2026.
- Ministère du Logement – FAQ on the residential lease (two-step refund, 10% monthly penalty for late return, registered formal notice). Accessed June 8, 2026.
- Union Luxembourgeoise des Consommateurs (ULC) – The residential lease in Luxembourg: what you need to know (2-month deposit, two-step refund, written lease under penalty of nullity, retentions based on exit inspection). Accessed June 8, 2026.