Help with Landlord and deposit issues! (apartments, rent, appliances)

[twinflame2]

Hello, I am in need of some answers please. I have researched the subject for awhile but can not find anything specific enough for my situation.

First of all I have rented month to month from the same property management firm for twelve years. I have never been late on my rent and have lived in four different apartments during that time.

I paid a $500.00 deposit in 1994 for the first apartment I rented, then I was moved to a different apartment in the same complex due to a major toxic mold situation. I lived in the first apartment for five years, and the second for almost four. I was informed that I did not have any deposit on file with the landlord after the first relocation. The bank I had used was no longer in business and I could not locate my check. I have been on Housing assistance from that time and the county had a record of the deposit paid. (I did not find this out until this month) I was then again evacuated from the second apartment for the same problem with mold except much worse. I had no deposit that I was aware of and after staying in a motel for three weeks I was moved into the third apartment in a different complex. Still it was stated that there was no deposit on file. No attempt was made to collect an additional deposit at that time either. I lived in the third apartment for two years. Due to safety issues I chose to relocate to where I am now in yet a different complex. I paid an additional deposit of $700.00 at this new address and made sure everything was properly fixed and cleaned in the apartment I had just moved out of, as I did not wish to incur any additional charges. First off the carpet was in pretty bad shape when I moved in, but they refused to replace it. The carpet had been installed in April of 2000, I moved in May 2004. I painted the apartment, replaced the screens, polished the hardware, cleaned the floors, and appliances. Plus all the shelves and and spent three days cleaning the bathroom glass door. All the windows and tracks, and all the blinds in the place. Plus we cleaned the carpet three times before we moved out. The place was ready to go it was so clean. Then I receive a bill for $800.00 dollars for carpet replacement, and misc cleaning plus two door handles (had to change them due to a threat on my life from gang activity) The manager was gang affiliated. I removed the blinds in the two bedrooms per the onsite managers ok, and was charged for that as well. I was also charged for cat urine on the carpet but I have no cat? My $500.oo deposit mysteriously turned back up with this most receint move and I was charged like I said $800.oo so that meant that they kept my entire deposit of so many years earlier and stated I still need to pay $300.00 approx. This is a joke right? Can they do that? I have wittnesses as to the condition of the carpet when I moved in, and it was completely shot. How long does pet urine show ip on carpet? Could a prior tenant have had an animal and that is what showed up. I know that they had to state that I had animal urine on the carpet because the law states that they can make me replace it for those reasons. I feel like I have been totally robbed, what are the things I can possibly do to make this right? Now the $300.oo is in collections. Please help!

[twinflame2]

Originally Posted by twinflame2

Hello, I am in need of some answers please. I have researched the subject for awhile but can not find anything specific enough for my situation.

First of all I have rented month to month from the same property management firm for twelve years. I have never been late on my rent and have lived in four different apartments during that time.

I paid a $500.00 deposit in 1994 for the first apartment I rented, then I was moved to a different apartment in the same complex due to a major toxic mold situation. I lived in the first apartment for five years, and the second for almost four. I was informed that I did not have any deposit on file with the landlord after the first relocation. The bank I had used was no longer in business and I could not locate my check. I have been on Housing assistance from that time and the county had a record of the deposit paid. (I did not find this out until this month) I was then again evacuated from the second apartment for the same problem with mold except much worse. I had no deposit that I was aware of and after staying in a motel for three weeks I was moved into the third apartment in a different complex. Still it was stated that there was no deposit on file. No attempt was made to collect an additional deposit at that time either. I lived in the third apartment for two years. Due to safety issues I chose to relocate to where I am now in yet a different complex. I paid an additional deposit of $700.00 at this new address and made sure everything was properly fixed and cleaned in the apartment I had just moved out of, as I did not wish to incur any additional charges. First off the carpet was in pretty bad shape when I moved in, but they refused to replace it. The carpet had been installed in April of 2000, I moved in May 2004. I painted the apartment, replaced the screens, polished the hardware, cleaned the floors, and appliances. Plus all the shelves and and spent three days cleaning the bathroom glass door. All the windows and tracks, and all the blinds in the place. Plus we cleaned the carpet three times before we moved out. The place was ready to go it was so clean. Then I receive a bill for $800.00 dollars for carpet replacement, and misc cleaning plus two door handles (had to change them due to a threat on my life from gang activity) The manager was gang affiliated. I removed the blinds in the two bedrooms per the onsite managers ok, and was charged for that as well. I was also charged for cat urine on the carpet but I have no cat? My $500.oo deposit mysteriously turned back up with this most receint move and I was charged like I said $800.oo so that meant that they kept my entire deposit of so many years earlier and stated I still need to pay $300.00 approx. This is a joke right? Can they do that? I have wittnesses as to the condition of the carpet when I moved in, and it was completely shot. How long does pet urine show ip on carpet? Could a prior tenant have had an animal and that is what showed up. I know that they had to state that I had animal urine on the carpet because the law states that they can make me replace it for those reasons. I feel like I have been totally robbed, what are the things I can possibly do to make this right? Now the $300.oo is in collections. Please help!

One more thing, Isn' there an interest payment that should be coming back to me on this twelve year old deposit. I was never charged anything from the other apartments I moved out of. I worked for a Janitorial company so I do know the proper way to clean a place when moving out. Oh and the blinds were removed because they were so old and outdated they were just falling apart, so the manager told me to just remove them. Oh and I was never given a chance to do a walk through with the landlord, she stated on the move out check list that I refused to do one. The on site manager had told me that everything was fine in the apartment and not to worry, it was the property management person that charged me.