rented an apartment for 8 years - landlord wants to keep the deposit.

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Hi All,

I just moved out of an apartment in torrance after 8 years and the landlord wants us to pay in damages.


the first letter from landlord was that we are liable for $90 ($500 - repair costs that amounts to $590)

I realized my deposit is $800 not $500 and wrote a letter to landlord stating that the repair cost needed was in part because of deferred maintenance (told manager to repair these items but he failed to do so)

Then landlord came back with a 2nd letter stating Im Now liable for $$695 ($800 - repair cost with other cost added on that amounts $1495).

I had asked for him to produce the signed lease agreeement but he did not mention it. I lost the lease agreement too.

is this landlord shady or is he just doing what is fair for him?

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It's impossible to tell whether the charges are legitimate or not without seeing the apartment.

You are responsible for dirt and damage. So it depends upon why the carpet needed replacing and why the walls needed painting, and what broke the oven.

I've billed a tenant for replacing the carpet when the carpet was in good usable condition, except covered with red spots from koolaid in every room. The spots wouldn't come out, and I could not find a new tenant who would agree to rent a nice house with hundreds of obvious stains on the carpet. So the tenant paid for replacing the carpet.

I billed for a new dishwasher the time that the door was broken off. Dishwasher doors don't fall off by themselves. The kids were using the door as a step stool.

I wouldn't normally charge for new paint after 8 years, but I would if I had to repair holes in the walls and redo the texture and paint to repair the damage.

If you don't return the house in rentable condition, you are going to pay to put it back into rentable condition.