Consumer Law

How to hold onto your security deposit

By Sam Glover

Landlords routinely ask for a security deposit–usually one month’s rent–when renting. The security (or damage) deposit is a way for the landlord to recover for unusual damage. Holes in the wall, for example, or stains in the carpet. It is not a way for a landlord to fix damage that is the result of ordinary wear and tear.

When you move out, the landlord must return the security deposit, plus interest, but he or she can deduct anything he or she actually spends to repair damage.

But it seems like some landlords cannot bear to give back the security deposit, and so they come up with all kinds of bogus charges. The secret to holding onto your security deposit is being able to prove you left things in good order. The only way to do this is by carefully documenting the condition before you move in and after you leave.

Here is how.

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Full post as published by Caveat Emptor on March 11, 2008 (boomark / email).