I have been charged 125 bucks for "cleaning," which is bs considering I cleaned the apartment thoroughly and basically left the apartment in better shape then when I moved in. When I asked the building super she said the carpet was dirty so I asked her if she could show me and she said no also the carpet was a dark brown color. Then said I have pictures but they are being developed. I asked a few days later and she did not show them too me. Low and behold it has almost been 3 weeks and they still refuse to show me proof of this "damage"
2007-05-14 07:19:53 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I did a walk through and they stated nothing was wrong with the place. When I told her I did a walk through and they said it was fine she said they are not allowed to tell you that their is something that needs to be fixed.
2007-05-14 07:25:29 · update #1
If you don't believe that you were charged justly, you have a right to take them to small claims court for the money. In court, they would have to produce proof that the charges are legitimate. That does not mean that they need pictures though.
I used to inspect apartments when tenants moved out and I rarely took photos. Due to my years of experience and extensive note taking, I was able to prove my credibility and justify any charges that were made.
125 bucks for cleaning a carpet is too much. The apt managment probably pays 30-35 bucks for the service. I'd ask for an itemized inventory of the damage and cleaning charges. If it doesn't add up, file at the clerk of court. It cost a few bucks and it will take some time, but you can represent yourself in small claims court and try to recover some of your costs that way. In addition, you can try to recover your court costs from the apt managment if they force you to go to court.
BTW, keep records of every letter that you send to the landlord. Certified letters get their attention and hold up in court. Good luck.
2007-05-14 07:30:10 · answer #1 · answered by Tunsa 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depending upon your state's law, you should be entitled to an accounting of what you are being charged for. Sadly, no matter how well you have cleaned up, the landlord can still normally get you for a cleaning charge. Depending upon the size of the apartment, $125 may not be all that unreasonable for carpet cleaning (depending on your locale).
2007-05-14 07:25:05 · answer #2 · answered by John W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If they signed the paper and said nothing was wrong with the place they owe you your FULL deposit back. The whole reason why you do a walk through is to find out what is wrong so that you can fix it to get your deposit back. Locally there is a place that tries to steal damage deposits this way and they were finally fined by one court for thousands of dollars to stop the practice. I went to small claims court and got double my money back. Tell them you are filing a lawsuit for their theft.
2007-05-14 07:31:41 · answer #3 · answered by CarbonDated 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's always a good idea to do a walk-through when leaving an apartment. Most places will shcedule a time to do a final walk-through with you and go over any damages they see and you can discuss then.
2007-05-14 07:23:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you really feel like you are being screwed, file a claim in small claims court for your $125. You will get to see all the evidence at that point.
2007-05-14 07:27:15 · answer #5 · answered by msi_cord 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
WHEN YOU GO TO RENT A PLACE WALK THROUGH AND SEE FOR YOUR SELF IT SHOULD BE ON YOUR RENTAL AGREEMENT WHAT THE DAMAGES ARE IN THE ROOM IF YOU TOOK PICTURES YOU CAN GO TO COURT AND GET YOUR MONEY BACK ALL LANDLORDS ARE NOT THE SAME SORRY TO HEAR THAT BE CAREFUL NEXT TIME IF YOU DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE DON'T RENT FROM THAT PERSON THEY HAVE 2WEEKS TO RETURN THE DEPOSIT TO YOU(14) WORKING DAYS GOOD LUCK
2007-05-14 07:29:47 · answer #6 · answered by kitty 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are in the U.S., you should file against them in small claims court. If there was no agreement in your lease and you didn't break the lease, they have the burden of proof. They will also have to prove that the pics they show are of YOUR apartment.
Good luck! :)
2007-05-14 07:24:32 · answer #7 · answered by searching_please 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on how it is stated in your lease. You need to look over that because, if it's in the lease, then the apartment complex can charge what it wants for cleaning.
Check your lease.
2007-05-14 07:29:39 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋