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Can our landlord keep our entire security deposit without listing out why?

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Mapper

Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? WA

We moved out of a rental house back in August. Granted we didn't clean it very well (vacuumed and scrubbed the sinks and tubs, but no carpet cleaning) However, we got a very nasty note from our landlord saying that "Didn't you think you needed to clean my house"? She listed out the amount she was charging us for for each thing but never told us WHY she was charging us. Like $20 for the tub and $20 for the sinks (which we cleaned) $100 for a sliding door screen (which only cost us $10 to fix, but she saw there's a small seam running up and down the screen so it's not good enough, even though she saw the picture before we delivered it to her and said it was fine), $20 for driveway and sidewalks (why because there's weeds coming through the cracks in the driveway?), $50 for trash (why, because we left a bag of trash in the bin and a box of recyclables for her to take out to the curb that week for weekly pickup?), $130 for cabinets (no idea why). She is keeping our ENTIRE $1100 deposit and has asked for $300 more. She is charging us $300 for carpet replacement and $250 for the wood floors. Yes they had cat pee embedded in them which we didn't clean well and we expected to be charged for that. In fact, those are the only 2 she gave explanations for while the other $550 of the deposit and the extra $300 she gave no reasoning for, just said "Cabinets-$130, Blinds-"$75", etc.

Should we be expected to accept that without reasoning? It says that the charges are at $20/hr. Really, so $50 to take out our bag of trash, which I assume she is talking about because we had no other trash lying around? An hour to scrub a tub that was already cleaned?
 
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STEPHAN

Senior Member
(The original posting was empty, now my answer does not make sense anymore)
 
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Silverplum

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? WA

We moved out of a rental house back in August. Granted we didn't clean it very well (vacuumed and scrubbed the sinks and tubs, but no carpet cleaning) However, we got a very nasty note from our landlord saying that "Didn't you think you needed to clean my house"? She listed out the amount she was charging us for for each thing but never told us WHY she was charging us. Like $20 for the tub and $20 for the sinks (which we cleaned) $100 for a sliding door screen (which only cost us $10 to fix, but she saw there's a small seam running up and down the screen so it's not good enough, even though she saw the picture before we delivered it to her and said it was fine), $20 for driveway and sidewalks (why because there's weeds coming through the cracks in the driveway?), $50 for trash (why, because we left a bag of trash in the bin and a box of recyclables for her to take out to the curb that week for weekly pickup?), $130 for cabinets (no idea why). She is keeping our ENTIRE $1100 deposit and has asked for $300 more. She is charging us $300 for carpet replacement and $250 for the wood floors. Yes they had cat pee embedded in them which we didn't clean well and we expected to be charged for that. In fact, those are the only 2 she gave explanations for while the other $550 of the deposit and the extra $300 she gave no reasoning for, just said "Cabinets-$130, Blinds-"$75", etc.

Should we be expected to accept that without reasoning? It says that the charges are at $20/hr. Really, so $50 to take out our bag of trash, which I assume she is talking about because we had no other trash lying around? An hour to scrub a tub that was already cleaned?

I would accept it and be happy I wasn't charged more.

You sound like a dreadful tenant.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
When she sues you for the additional $300, you can ask that she give her reasoning for the charges.
 

Mapper

Member
I would accept it and be happy I wasn't charged more.

You sound like a dreadful tenant.

Sorry but we were FAN-TAS-TIC tenants! Yes we had one cat that would spray but we couldn't help that. Other than that, I was constantly out in the yard mowing, raking, cleaning gutters, pulling up weeds. The neighbors constantly said how great the yard looked. I was ALWAYS ALWAYS cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, doing laundry as I could not stand a dirty house or yard. Our rent was always early or on time. We let the landlord in without any notice because she just HAD to get in to look at something and couldn't call first. We paid half for a door which we didn't break just to get her off our backs about it, which by the way took her 6 months to fix! We left 2 1/2 months before our lease was up because she just HAD to get back into her house.

We accommodated her WAY more than she EVER accommodated us!
 

Silverplum

Senior Member
Sorry but we were FAN-TAS-TIC tenants! Yes we had one cat that would spray but we couldn't help that. Other than that, I was constantly out in the yard mowing, raking, cleaning gutters, pulling up weeds. The neighbors constantly said how great the yard looked. I was ALWAYS ALWAYS cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, doing laundry as I could not stand a dirty house or yard. Our rent was always early or on time. We let the landlord in without any notice because she just HAD to get in to look at something and couldn't call first. We paid half for a door which we didn't break just to get her off our backs about it, which by the way took her 6 months to fix! We left 2 1/2 months before our lease was up because she just HAD to get back into her house.

We accommodated her WAY more than she EVER accommodated us!

Well, then.
 

Antigone*

Senior Member
Sorry but we were FAN-TAS-TIC tenants! Yes we had one cat that would spray but we couldn't help that. Other than that, I was constantly out in the yard mowing, raking, cleaning gutters, pulling up weeds. The neighbors constantly said how great the yard looked. I was ALWAYS ALWAYS cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, doing laundry as I could not stand a dirty house or yard. Our rent was always early or on time. We let the landlord in without any notice because she just HAD to get in to look at something and couldn't call first. We paid half for a door which we didn't break just to get her off our backs about it, which by the way took her 6 months to fix! We left 2 1/2 months before our lease was up because she just HAD to get back into her house.

We accommodated her WAY more than she EVER accommodated us!

The bolded is B.S.

Who cares what you were constantly doing, at the end of the day you left the house in poor condition. If the landlord met the legal requirements in your state, then that is all you should expect.
 

Mapper

Member
The bolded is B.S.

Who cares what you were constantly doing, at the end of the day you left the house in poor condition. If the landlord met the legal requirements in your state, then that is all you should expect.

Yeah so KEEP the $550 for the floors and carpet regarding the cat pee, but the rest needs reasoning. I'm not going to argue that the cat pee is gross--it IS gross, so keep the money. The rest has nothing to do with the cats and there's no explanation.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Yeah so KEEP the $550 for the floors and carpet regarding the cat pee, but the rest needs reasoning. I'm not going to argue that the cat pee is gross--it IS gross, so keep the money. The rest has nothing to do with the cats and there's no explanation.

I once head it said...

When she sues you for the additional $300, you can ask that she give her reasoning for the charges.
 

Mapper

Member
I once head it said...

When she sues you for the additional $300, you can ask that she give her reasoning for the charges.

Okaaaaaay...so what about the other $550 from our security deposit? Don't ask about that UNLESS she sues us for the extra $300? Otherwise just let her have it all??
 

Antigone*

Senior Member
Okaaaaaay...so what about the other $550 from our security deposit? Don't ask about that UNLESS she sues us for the extra $300? Otherwise just let her have it all??

Okaaaaaaayyyyy you have my permission to sue the landlord for the $550. Go make a fool of yourself, it is your dirty dollar.:rolleyes:
 

Mapper

Member
Okaaaaaaayyyyy you have my permission to sue the landlord for the $550. Go make a fool of yourself, it is your dirty dollar.:rolleyes:

Well we sure as **** don't owe $100 to fix a screen that only cost us $10 to repair and that she said she was fine with!!
 

Silverplum

Senior Member
Nonetheless, I googled on your behalf (and why didn't you do it yourself? :confused:) and found All The Answers:

http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/your-rights-as-a-tenant-in-washington

You're welcome.
 

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