Meaning & use
refundable deposit
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
Money paid in advance to secure something such as a flat or booking, which the payer gets back if certain conditions are met.
Grammar: Counts as one payment: a refundable deposit of two hundred dollars.
Patterns
- a refundable deposit of amount
- pay a refundable deposit
The landlord asked for a refundable deposit equal to one month's rent.
The hotel takes a refundable deposit to cover damage to the room.
We paid a refundable deposit for the hired camping gear.
Word forms
| plural | refundable deposits |
|---|
Common combinations
- pay a refundable deposit
- Guests pay a refundable deposit when they check in.
- a fully refundable deposit
- The venue asks for a fully refundable deposit.
- return the refundable deposit
- The agency will return the refundable deposit within a week.
- a refundable deposit of
- There is a refundable deposit of fifty dollars.
- refundable deposit on a booking
- A refundable deposit on a booking holds your dates.
Synonyms and how they differ
- security deposit
- A security deposit is specifically held against damage or unpaid rent, while a refundable deposit is any returnable advance payment.
- bond
- Bond is the usual word in Australia and New Zealand for a rental deposit.
- down payment
- A down payment is part of the price and is normally not returned, so it differs from a refundable deposit.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: refundable deposit or non-refundable deposit?
refundable deposit vs non-refundable deposit
This is the opposite: you will not get it back, even if you cancel. Check the wording before paying.
Practice
The tenant left the flat spotless, so the landlord returned the full ____.
Choose one answer.
A refundable deposit is the money returned when conditions are met. Rent increases, late fees and service charges are costs, not returned sums.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “refundable deposit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.