Overheard a tenant dispute at the coffee shop that got me thinking about landlord rights

I was grabbing a coffee on Clark Street last Tuesday and heard two people arguing about a security deposit. One guy was saying his landlord kept $800 for 'cleaning fees' after he moved out but he said the place was spotless. The other person kept telling him to just take it to small claims court. It got me wondering how many Chicago renters actually fight back on these things. I've had my own run-ins with landlords over repair timelines and it always feels like they hold all the cards. The laws here in Chicago are pretty specific about what you can deduct from a deposit. Has anyone here ever actually won a case over a security deposit or did the landlord just get away with it?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin_kim4d ago

Wait, one person winning a case doesn't mean every landlord is trying to cheat people. Some cleaning fees are legit if the place was actually trashed.

emma964d ago

Tbh Betty your cousin's story hits close to home. My uncle got hit with a $500 "cleaning fee" last year in a suburb near here, and he took photos of the place spotless before he handed over the keys. Landlord tried to claim there were stains on the carpet that my uncle never saw, and it just felt like a total cash grab. Honestly it's so frustrating how many landlords just throw out these fees hoping tenants won't fight them. My uncle ended up winning in small claims too, but it took months of stress and paperwork. Ngl I'm glad your cousin got justice, it makes me feel better knowing more people are calling this stuff out.

betty_perry244d ago

My cousin had this exact thing happen to him in Lincoln Park back in 2019. I used to think landlords were always in the right because they own the property, you know? Like they have more at stake so they deserve the benefit of the doubt. But after he took his old landlord to small claims over a $650 carpet cleaning fee and won, it totally changed my mind lol. The judge straight up said the landlord couldn't prove the carpet was dirty and that the receipt he showed was from a friend's company. My cousin got the full amount back plus court costs. Now I tell everyone I know to document everything with photos and emails before they move out. It's wild how many landlords just bank on tenants being too scared or lazy to fight back honestly.