Kansas (K.S.A. 58-2550) is one of the few states that caps deposits differently by furnishing — and one of the few whose penalty multiplier is 1.5x rather than double or treble. The mechanics are simple; the inventory rule at move-in is the part both sides skip at their peril.
How much can a landlord charge?
One month's rent unfurnished; one and a half months furnished — plus up to an additional half month for pets. Kansas also ties the deposit to a statutory move-in inventory: within five days of occupancy, landlord and tenant jointly inventory the premises' condition, signed by both. That document is the deduction baseline.
The 14/30-day clock
The landlord returns the balance within 14 days of determining the deductions — and never later than 30 days after the tenancy ends — with an itemized list of amounts withheld for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear and tear.
The penalty
Wrongful withholding makes the landlord liable for one and a half times the amount wrongfully withheld. Smaller than most states' multipliers — which, as in Iowa, pushes the real fight onto the evidence rather than settlement pressure.
Why Kansas deposit disputes are documentation disputes
Kansas wrote the joint inventory into law because condition-at-move-in decides these cases — but a signed inventory is prose, and prose gets reinterpreted. "Carpet: fair" means whatever the party with better proof says it means.
SealMove makes the inventory undeniable. Every photo and video is cryptographically sealed the instant it's captured, independently timestamped, and locked with Face ID into a tamper-evident archive. Attach sealed evidence to the statutory inventory; at move-out the walkthrough lines up room-by-room against it — and either party can send the other a report to review and acknowledge, no app required.