Rant: My landlord tried to keep my whole security deposit over a scratch on the floor

Honestly, I thought it was a simple fix when I moved out of my place in Logan Square last year. The lease said normal wear and tear was fine, and this was a tiny mark. Tbh, I ended up filing a claim with the Chicago Renters' Rights hotline and it took a full 5 months to get my $1200 back. They kept sending letters saying the damage was 'beyond normal' and the repair cost was $800. Ngl, I had to show them photos from when I moved in and get a statement from my old neighbor. Has anyone else had a landlord drag things out over something this small? What did you do?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles7204d ago

Wow, that's wild they fought you that hard over a scratch. Honestly, my old landlord in Uptown tried something similar with a small stain on the carpet. Tbh, I just sent them a link to the city's own wear and tear guide and they backed down in like a week. Sometimes they just bank on you not knowing the rules.

green.noah4d ago

Check if your lease has a clause about mandatory mediation before taking a deposit dispute to court. A lot of corporate landlords slip that in now, and it forces you into their chosen process before you can even sue. Makes that "send them the rules" move way harder to pull off when they control the whole system.

jason_stone594d ago

Used to think landlords were generally reasonable about this stuff, but after watching a buddy go through almost the exact same fight in Wrigleyville I've totally flipped on that.