The law in plain English
Return deadline
Under Vt. Stat. tit. 9, Section 4461, the deposit response usually has to be sent within 14 days of the move-out timeline described by the state rule.
Required notice
Vermont generally does not impose a statewide deposit cap, and the landlord usually has 14 days after the tenant vacates to send the refund or explain the withholding, with a 60-day rule for certain seasonal rentals.
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 Vermont, 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: Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion; willful noncompliance: up to double the amount withheld, plus attorney's fees