Alaska's §34.03.070 does something clever: the return clock depends on the tenant's behavior — proper notice earns the fast lane.
How much can a landlord charge?
Two months' rent — unless monthly rent exceeds $2,000, where the cap lifts — plus a pet deposit of up to one month (service animals excluded). Deposits must be held in a trust account or by a licensed escrow agent, separate from the landlord's funds, with the tenant told the terms.
The 14/30-day clocks
Tenant gave proper notice to terminate: 14 days. No proper notice, or deductions for damage from the tenant's failure to maintain: 30 days. Either way, the return comes with an itemized accounting of anything withheld — unpaid rent and damage beyond normal wear and tear. The lesson for tenants is unusually concrete: proper written notice doesn't just end the lease cleanly, it halves the wait for your money.
The penalty
Wrongful withholding exposes the landlord to up to twice the amount wrongfully withheld. District court small claims (to $10,000) handles the rest.
Why Alaska deposit disputes are documentation disputes
Alaska's statute rewards procedural diligence on both sides — and then, like everywhere, leaves the wear-and-tear substance to whoever can prove condition across an Alaskan winter's worth of wear.
SealMove proves it. Every photo and video is cryptographically sealed the instant it's captured, independently timestamped, and locked with Face ID into a tamper-evident archive. At move-out, the walkthrough lines up room-by-room against the sealed baseline — and either party can send the other a report to review and acknowledge, no app required.