The law in plain English
Return deadline
Under Ala. Code Section 35-9A-201, the deposit response usually has to be sent within 60 days of the move-out timeline described by the state rule.
Required notice
Alabama generally caps the deposit at 1 month's rent, subject to the statute's added exceptions for pets, alterations, and higher-risk activity, and the landlord usually has 60 days after termination and delivery of possession to send the refund and itemized statement.
This dispute type
Painting deductions are usually weakest when the landlord is refreshing the unit for the next tenant, covering faded walls, or addressing minor marks from normal occupancy. In Alabama, the refund deadline and deduction notice rules still apply even if the landlord claims the walls needed work.
Penalty leverage
If the withholding was wrongful or in bad faith, the exposure allowed under the statute is: You can recover double your original deposit amount