Do not let your landlord steal your deposit.
- Take pictures before you move in. Make sure to document any damage no matter how small.
- Keep a signed copy of your lease in a safe place.
- Leave the place in as good condition as it was when you found it. Make sure any specific items mentioned as part of the move out are addressed and that you can prove it.
- Take pictures when you move out.
- Research your states small claims court rules and procedures.
- Sue landlord in small claims court if they try to steal your deposit.
I did this to a landlord who tried to rip us off with a bunch of bullshit fees after we left the house in immaculate condition. We tried talking to them and they wouldn’t even respond. It cost me about $100 for the court fee and to have them served. They must have known they fucked up because they paid up (deposit and court fees) almost immediately.
It pissed me off because I guarantee I’m not the first person they pulled that shit on.
This was an advice from my mom and for my first flat I ignored it. It ended up with landlord keeping the deposit because of some items we didn’t take with us. Mentioned items were a bunch of worthless trash he, so politely, asked us to keep in an unused room because he could need them later. After that I religiously documented every single detail & interaction with landlords(texts etc.) Saved my ass a bunch of times.
Landlord when asking for deposit: I want it and i want it NOW.
Landlord when giving back deposit: please give us a notice of vacancy 3 months prior or else you won’t get a single cent back.
Landord checking the flat 3 months after you left: everything was dusty, we have to clean that so no deposit.
I once had a deduction from my deposit for a paintbrush and can of paint left on top of a kitchen cabinet; it had been left by their team when I moved in.
You left it there the entire time you lived there?
I have some paint in a cabinet which was leftover from when I moved in. I figured it might be useful if I need to touch up anything (although I haven’t used it in 2 years yet, so it might not be good anymore). At first I thought that another person’s comment was weird, before realizing I’m basically the same, except that I leave the paint in a cabinet.
Also, ADHD was a factor haha. Getting the dishes done and keeping the place tidy was enough of a struggle without extracurricular activities like the disposal of paint cans!
Yea, it wasn’t terribly visually obtrusive, so I just sort of forgot about it.
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I did not.
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Where do you live that they can just do that without taking you to your equivalent of small claims? (VCAT in Victoria, Australia)
I was living in Scotland at the time.
Wait, you guys don’t get escrow for the deposit?
Lol
That’s only for buying a house silly
Deposits are given to your landlord in small unmarked cash bills in an I sealed envelope. The rental agreement should have at least 50 different reasons spelled out why they can keep the deposit, including “tenants TV is too loud.”
Ohh, my bad. I guess I’ve been doing it wrong all this time
Fuck landlords!
Landlords should be making minimum wage off all the property they’re renting.
And I mean everyone they’re renting to collectively should pay landlords a total of $7.25 an hour.
As of the moment I’m writing this, there are 5 landlords who have seen this post
Still waiting for mine almost a year now. They were pretty quick with sending me a bill for all the stuff they replaced in my apartment tho.
Every time (almost). I’ve received it back maybe 2/10 times and it seemed amazing. Even when it’s a “good” landlord, you find out at the end what they’re really like.
Am I the only one who’s always had their deposit returned?
There are good landlords out there. After all, landlords are people too.
