HELP! Need to get security deposit back from landlord (apartments, house, liable)

[vega07]

I'm seeking advice on how to confront my sister's landlord. I believe the landlord took advantage of her by giving her only 30 bucks back from her $500 security deposit.

My sister just got her check for 30 bucks today and along with it were some receipts. My sister was charged $277 for: (1) Complete latex and enamel - spray complete acoustic ceilings - kitchen cabinets (outside and inside) - furnace cover (2) Color change-over - exterior door and door frame.

She was also charged for cleaning services. The list of areas that were clean were basically EVERY PART of the apartment including light fixtures, shower track, RC-install, light switch covers and re-install, cupboard doors and door knobs, clean and disinfect toilets, and the list goes on and on and on. She was even charged extra for "Very dirty" (whatever the hell that's supposed to mean).

My sister did clean every part of the apartment before she left. And plus...since she's all new to this apartment scene, she just talked to landlord before she left saying that she cleaned everything and a walk though did not occur.

Are these charges warranted? I truly believe that my sister was taken advantage of, especially with the $277 charge for what seems to be RENOVATION. I don't know anything about apartments, et al.

I hope some landlords on this board and people who have experienced similar situations can help me.

Also, my sister rented this place for only a year.

[rockx]

This happens a lot, I hope your sister took pictures before and after move-in.
You should never leave the place without having a Landlord do a walk through and list the things out that need to be fixed, being there with them is ideal.

Even if not, you can take the landlord to small claims court, once they get served they will most likely cough up the deposit. Only do this however, if she really did leave the place nice, don't lie of course.

[vega07]

Thanks for the reply rockx, but what about the $277? These charges sound like renovation, and therefore should not be my sister's responsibility.

And nope, she did not take pictures. Again, this being her first time renting an apartment, she didn't expect this to happen.

[Humanoid]

Did you sister smoke? They often do these sorts of things when dealing with smokers (It makes everything yellowish). Being charged for cleaning is pretty normal though, you can't just clean like you normally would. It needs to be spotless, usually its not even worth trying.

Also, at least in most states its up to the LL to justify the costs. If they are going to charge you $X to fix something they should have pictures of the damage etc as evidence.

[vega07]

Nope, she's not a smoker. And she was not provided with any pictures from the LL either.

[Humanoid]

And she was not provided with any pictures from the LL either.

They don't automatically give you photos. But if they are going to do work on the place, they need to be able to justify that you should pay for it. Usually that means taking pictures of the damage before its fixed.

If they can't provide evidence of damage then your sister could take them to small claims court (The laws differ from state to state, so look up the laws for your state).

[Woof]

I've had this kind of crap happen enough so that I try to give as little of a security deposit as possible. Generally speaking I consider deposits to be a sort of bribe to get in. If you're clean and presentable with good refs you should be able to talk down the deposit.

Yeah, try small claims court, ya never know.

[ToyaLucky]

I just moved out of my apt on july 5 and I gave a thirty day notice on June 23 and said the lastest i will be their is july 19 until futher notice. So i got my deposit back but only for 179 cause they said i owe for 23 days unpaid and nothing esle so why did they charge me for 23 unpaid day 590 I think and my deposit was 770. So should i fight for the rest of my money back. And i live in Long beach ca. Also i called and they still was not able to answer my question about my money. Also my thirty days started from the day i put it in iam sure how that work

[nmnita]

I would go to the management (landlord) and ask them for an explanation for the $277. The rest, I am afraid is a lost cause. This happened to us, many years ago. It was a house and we even hired professionals to clean. The reason they held almost our entire deposit: we forgot to completely clean one fireplace. It was a hard lesson to learn, we have never rented since, but if we did again, we would make sure walk throughs were done with the landlord being present.

Nita

[FrugalYankee]

Since you gave notice on June 23 you are liable for rent through July 23. The fact that you moved out earlier does not entitle you to a refund unless they are able to rent it out before the 23rd.

$770 * 23 days / 30 days = $590.