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I was renting a house from a private landlord. The lease stated that the security deposit would be returned with-in 30 days of the end of the lease or when no damage or deterioration to the property was evident.
When the lease ended, he gave me a list of concerns. Several were remedied and totaled, however, one repair was never addressed as we waited.
Via e-mail, we requested an update and an ETA on the return of the remaining security deposit. He agreed to send the check, but all we received was a partial return and a list of other issue that he would like to address, which were never mentioned prior.
Are we able to recoup our deposit from this landlord. The lease ended on January 31st and he has implied that he will not have estimates until mid-April. if legal action is needed, can he be made liable for anything additional?
I'm sure our realtors here will provide you with good info.
As for me, I have always felt lucky when I got a deposit back. If I didn't, I mentally divided the deposit by 12 and considered that a part of my monthly rent. Individual landlords are hard to evaluate when you sign the lease. I hate that they can bully people, but they can. It's just a fact.
I always had too much going on to let the negative energy drag me down. So my choice was to move on whether it was fair or not. If you feel differently, I hope you nail the bass.
It is just very frustrating. He gave me a reasonable list of issues and a cost to correct them, but than continued to retain the deposit because he failed to act on one final issue. He than added to the list things that were never spoken of before and that had never been put in writing.
And his next move will probably be to have one big repair that magically takes up the entire remainder of your deposit. Of course he or his brother probably got paid to repair things. Its a scam I have seen before.
You have to decide for you, but the longer you argue with him, the longer you will be frustrated. Renters have very little power. A renters only hope is to luck up on an honest landlord. They are out there they are just hard to identify.
Small Claims. Send him a demand letter for the entire deposit. If it does not get a response go file in small claims. It is relatively simple and the forms are all available on the web. Go to the constable and pay them to serve him.
Generally they think better of the whole thing when court time nears.
If not go talk to the judge. The generally sort it out fairly.
And his next move will probably be to have one big repair that magically takes up the entire remainder of your deposit. Of course he or his brother probably got paid to repair things. Its a scam I have seen before.
You have to decide for you, but the longer you argue with him, the longer you will be frustrated. Renters have very little power. A renters only hope is to luck up on an honest landlord. They are out there they are just hard to identify.
"Of course he or his brother probably got paid to repair things. Its a scam I have seen before."
Not always, the six hundred dollar deposit only covered $600.00 of a $4,000.00 repair bill for damages and was paid to a private contractor.
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Originally Posted by Paula Lynn
Depends what State you live in - they all have different laws.
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Originally Posted by STT Resident
Absolutely correct - check your state laws before you waste time and money.
Yes - I agree - and you'll find some states are much more strict about deposits, giving renters more power rather than less when it comes to landlords and deposits --- however, it all depends on the laws of each state. In Florida, for example, a landlord must return the deposit within 15 days if there are no issues, or they have up to 30 days to - in writing - make claims and return whatever might be left over after stated repairs are made.
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