Landlord trying to keep deposit. Renter laws in MD? (Annapolis: wood floors, apartments)

[adysushi5]

So we moved out of a townhouse in historic Annapolis that was built in the 1800's. It's OLD. Not updated at all since the 70's. At the last walk-through the landlord said "Everything looks fine looks like you are entitled to your security deposit". Seriously! A month later we get an estimate for over 4k in repairs!!!! He is trying to charge us for the following, some of which I know are illegal:

Touch up chipping and cracking paint, touch up paint on stairwell, paint base boards, touch up paint on widowsills- $1800
Repair water damage to wall and ceiling in kitchen- the listing agent insinuated at the walk through that the tub overflowed and caused the damage. This is NOT TRUE. The tub was too small for an adult to bath in so we only used it for our childrens baths. It never once overflowed, at least not during the year we were there. The paint did however bubble and peel from humidity in the dead of summer because the house as no a/c. I told the landlord this but he is insisting it's water damage (technically it is because it was from humidity, but we have zero control over that!)-$395

Remove a/c window unit and store in closet- $85 ?!??@?@ <- what?

Replace sink and toilet in bathroom- $750....whaaaat again?! Like I said this house is OLD. The sink and toilet gave us problems from week one and landlord knows this. I emailed him at least 4 times telling him we needed a plumber to come out. The plumber himself told me that it appeared that someone tried to fix it incorrectly and thats why it wasnt working properly. I have work orders from the plumber and emails to the landlord to confirm this.

Replace worn polyurethane on floor in hallway-$265 Like I said, this house is 200 years old. Original wood floors. Wtf?

Service and clean a/c units-$275

Install doorstop behind door-$65

Remove carpet in two rooms- $320 We put remnant rug down because cold air was coming through the floorboards in our childrens room. At teh walkthrough the landlord said it was fine to leave it there. The agent SAID HE WOULD TAKE IT! Really. He said he wanted it for his own home and would remove it himself. We thankfully have a sound bite of him confirming this on the phone.

Clean house- $350. My husband spent two full days cleanign that house after we moved. When we moved in it was filthy. I spent an entire week removing grim from toilets and sinks, the fridge had sticky stuff all over it. There was dirt, dust and HAIR all over the bathrooms. To have the nerve to rent us a filthy house and then charge us for cleaning when we move is just beyond me.

I told him we are filing a small claim. I just want to know how much of this holds water. The thing that makes us so mad is that he said everything was fine at the walkthrough!!!!!! Jerk!!

[bufflove]

Yes, most of that sounds like regular wear and tear, which you're not liable for. Of course the unit needs paint touch-up and cleaning before a new tenant comes in and you certainly don't pay for that. Put everything in writing from here on out (electronic i fine) and keep records of every interaction. Gather all records (e.g. you previously emailing the agent to say the sink/tub aren't draining properly). If you cannot convince the owner to give you the security deposit back, meet with a lawyer and bring said records. You should be able to recover the deposit + legal costs.

[bufflove]

Yeah, none of that sounds like something you'd be liable for unless you physically broke the sink/toilet or pulled the old doorstop out of the wall.

[bande1102]

This site might be useful Landlord/Tenant | The Maryland People's Law Library as it links to different MD Laws.

Here's a link to MD law specifically relating to security deposits http://www.peoples-law.org/landlord-responsibilities

[papichulo2]

Originally Posted by bufflove

Yeah, none of that sounds like something you'd be liable for unless you physically broke the sink/toilet or pulled the old doorstop out of the wall.

true don’t rip fixtures out of apartments its unfair to new renter.

[MdlocalBrian]

This hotline can also give you some guidance to MD laws. Its free to call (410) 243-6007

Doubt you are responsible for most if any of the above. Very hard to charge a tenant for painting, unless they painted the rooms different colors and you are returning it to the original color. Flooring is almost impossible to charge for, in my experience.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by adysushi5

So we moved out of a townhouse in historic Annapolis that was built in the 1800's. It's OLD. Not updated at all since the 70's. At the last walk-through the landlord said "Everything looks fine looks like you are entitled to your security deposit". Seriously! A month later we get an estimate for over 4k in repairs!!!! He is trying to charge us for the following, some of which I know are illegal:

Touch up chipping and cracking paint, touch up paint on stairwell, paint base boards, touch up paint on widowsills- $1800
Repair water damage to wall and ceiling in kitchen- the listing agent insinuated at the walk through that the tub overflowed and caused the damage. This is NOT TRUE. The tub was too small for an adult to bath in so we only used it for our childrens baths. It never once overflowed, at least not during the year we were there. The paint did however bubble and peel from humidity in the dead of summer because the house as no a/c. I told the landlord this but he is insisting it's water damage (technically it is because it was from humidity, but we have zero control over that!)-$395

Remove a/c window unit and store in closet- $85 ?!??@?@ <- what?

Replace sink and toilet in bathroom- $750....whaaaat again?! Like I said this house is OLD. The sink and toilet gave us problems from week one and landlord knows this. I emailed him at least 4 times telling him we needed a plumber to come out. The plumber himself told me that it appeared that someone tried to fix it incorrectly and thats why it wasnt working properly. I have work orders from the plumber and emails to the landlord to confirm this.

Replace worn polyurethane on floor in hallway-$265 Like I said, this house is 200 years old. Original wood floors. Wtf?

Service and clean a/c units-$275

Install doorstop behind door-$65

Remove carpet in two rooms- $320 We put remnant rug down because cold air was coming through the floorboards in our childrens room. At teh walkthrough the landlord said it was fine to leave it there. The agent SAID HE WOULD TAKE IT! Really. He said he wanted it for his own home and would remove it himself. We thankfully have a sound bite of him confirming this on the phone.

Clean house- $350. My husband spent two full days cleanign that house after we moved. When we moved in it was filthy. I spent an entire week removing grim from toilets and sinks, the fridge had sticky stuff all over it. There was dirt, dust and HAIR all over the bathrooms. To have the nerve to rent us a filthy house and then charge us for cleaning when we move is just beyond me.

I told him we are filing a small claim. I just want to know how much of this holds water. The thing that makes us so mad is that he said everything was fine at the walkthrough!!!!!! Jerk!!

Start here and this is the wrong area of the forum for this issue.
//www.city-data.com/forum/renti...nant-laws.html

[Quaker15]

Originally Posted by adysushi5

So we moved out of a townhouse in historic Annapolis that was built in the 1800's. It's OLD. Not updated at all since the 70's. At the last walk-through the landlord said "Everything looks fine looks like you are entitled to your security deposit". Seriously! A month later we get an estimate for over 4k in repairs!!!! He is trying to charge us for the following, some of which I know are illegal:

Make sure you counter suit him for intentional infliction of emotional distress ($2,000) and time taken off work and personal time ($800) to deal with all these malicious and fraudulent charges, in the total amount of $2,800.