need advice!! failure to return sec. deposit.
What is the name of your state? ALABAMA
I began renting a home midway through Feb. 05 (500/month, 500 sec. deposit). The terms of the lease were month-to-month. I accepted a job in another city a couple hours away so i had to move. I gave the required 30 day notice. Through the final month of my lease my landlord called numerous times making sure that i would be out by Aug 1 because he had someone moving in after me. Each time i assured him i would be out of the house by then. I finally got all my things out late into the night on the 31 of july (sunday) and drove to my new apt. I was out of town the following two weeks and finally had a chance to return the set of keys to the landlord (who himself had a set of his own) one weekend i was back in town. I put the keys in an envelope with a note providing my reasoning for the late return and an address and phone number (# which he had already) in the drop box where i usually left my rent. After a month or so passed i began trying to contact the landlord. Each time I was told he was on another call or wasnt available. Each time i left messeges to return my call. I received a missed call on Nov. 7 from landlord's office and called back assuming it was concerning my deposit.
Turns out he was attempting to contact the curret resident of the house and called my on accident. Upon asking about the deposit, he told me that he would not return it. HE SAID that i returned my keys too late and so he had to put new locks on the doors. I asked him why he didnt call..HE SAID he didnt have enough time. I told him that numerous times i assured him i would be out by aug 1st. HE SAID he didnt know i was out until he went by the house a couple weeks later (a lie of course, he basically pestered me to be out and JUST HAPPENED to drive by?) and saw that i was gone. That the new resident wouldnt move in until the locks were changed. I was not contacted concerning the keys or anything after aug 1. I asked him to fax me a copy of my lease to which he said he no longer kept his rental files at his office. They were at his house. I gave him a fax#. The next day i called b/c i had recieved no fax and left a message for him. Well, no fax today either.
So, since he specifically told me he didnt know if i was out or not he charged me another month's rent. If thats the case, I still had the month of aug right?Therefore, he rented to another person prior to the end of my lease without notifying me ( i called utilities and found that the current tenant had utilities placed in thier name on aug1) and because he said he changed the locks b4 receiving my keys he also changed the locks to the house I WAS STILL RENTING without notifying my beforehand.
OR, If he accepts that my lease ended on july 31. then he accepts that i was out of the house. Because he didnt have my key copies, he changed the locks for the next tentant. Thats fine. But to charge me $500 dollar for that isnt. Should he simply have deductec the cost of replacing the locks from my deposit and returned the rest with a detailed list of deductions??
Please help. This angers me greatly...ill be by the computer to await your replies..
What is the name of your state? ALABAMA
I began renting a home midway through Feb. 05 (500/month, 500 sec. deposit). The terms of the lease were month-to-month. I accepted a job in another city a couple hours away so i had to move. I gave the required 30 day notice. Through the final month of my lease my landlord called numerous times making sure that i would be out by Aug 1 because he had someone moving in after me. Each time i assured him i would be out of the house by then. I finally got all my things out late into the night on the 31 of july (sunday) and drove to my new apt. I was out of town the following two weeks and finally had a chance to return the set of keys to the landlord (who himself had a set of his own) one weekend i was back in town. I put the keys in an envelope with a note providing my reasoning for the late return and an address and phone number (# which he had already) in the drop box where i usually left my rent. After a month or so passed i began trying to contact the landlord. Each time I was told he was on another call or wasnt available. Each time i left messeges to return my call. I received a missed call on Nov. 7 from landlord's office and called back assuming it was concerning my deposit.
Turns out he was attempting to contact the curret resident of the house and called my on accident. Upon asking about the deposit, he told me that he would not return it. HE SAID that i returned my keys too late and so he had to put new locks on the doors. I asked him why he didnt call..HE SAID he didnt have enough time. I told him that numerous times i assured him i would be out by aug 1st. HE SAID he didnt know i was out until he went by the house a couple weeks later (a lie of course, he basically pestered me to be out and JUST HAPPENED to drive by?) and saw that i was gone. That the new resident wouldnt move in until the locks were changed. I was not contacted concerning the keys or anything after aug 1. I asked him to fax me a copy of my lease to which he said he no longer kept his rental files at his office. They were at his house. I gave him a fax#. The next day i called b/c i had recieved no fax and left a message for him. Well, no fax today either.
So, since he specifically told me he didnt know if i was out or not he charged me another month's rent. If thats the case, I still had the month of aug right?Therefore, he rented to another person prior to the end of my lease without notifying me ( i called utilities and found that the current tenant had utilities placed in thier name on aug1) and because he said he changed the locks b4 receiving my keys he also changed the locks to the house I WAS STILL RENTING without notifying my beforehand.
OR, If he accepts that my lease ended on july 31. then he accepts that i was out of the house. Because he didnt have my key copies, he changed the locks for the next tentant. Thats fine. But to charge me $500 dollar for that isnt. Should he simply have deductec the cost of replacing the locks from my deposit and returned the rest with a detailed list of deductions??
Please help. This angers me greatly...ill be by the computer to await your replies..
Last edited: