Landlord Wrongfully Retained Your Security Deposit? Fight Back!

Do you think your landlord has unjustly retained some or all of your security deposit after you moved out of the rental? Before you write it off as a loss, consider composing a letter, or two if necessary, to your landlord disputing the retention of your security deposit.

The Clean Move-Out

A few years ago, I was moving out of a nice apartment building in the upscale Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, and into a more spacious and less expensive apartment in the cozy Nordic neighborhood of Ballard. Before returning the keys to my former apartment manager, I scrubbed, cleaned, and vacuumed so that the small studio apartment I had occupied would be at least as clean as when I had first stepped foot inside ten months before.

Despite my focused cleaning efforts, the apartment management decided to retain $50 for "carpet cleaning." I thought this was unfair. The only difference between the condition of the carpet from the time of move-in to move-out was ordinary wear and tear, and very little at that. I am a tidy person by nature.

Is it Worth Your Time?

Perhaps the amount in question, in my case $50, does not seem worth the trouble to fight for. Often it is not just the amount of money but the principal of unfairness that drives people to seek justice. Perhaps your efforts will result in a changed policy so that future renters will not have to incur the same injustice.

The following two letters detail what happened in my case. They also provide a template for how to go about writing letters if you find yourself in a similar situation.

The First Letter

[Name and address of landlord/management company]

Re: Security Deposit

Dear Mr. ________:

I am writing to you regarding my security deposit.

I was a resident of Avalon Belltown, apartment #____, from December 21, 2001 through October 31, 2002.

In the Apartment Lease Agreement, dated December 21, 2001, provision seven (7) incorporates the Security Deposit Agreement into the Apartment Lease Agreement by reference.