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Security Deposit Issues - Commercial Lease

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Grrrl123

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? CA

I had a commercial lease that expired April 1, 2008. After that date, my lease was month to month with no signed agreement other than the one expired in April. In September I notified the LL of my intention to terminate the lease effective September 30. I requested a walk through and they said it would not be necessary.

I received the security deposit and an invoice post marked November 6. It states fees for painting and utilities due on a building I vacated 1 1/2 years ago. I can prove the utilities were paid, however there's an issue with utilities they forgave on my current building after I requested an audit. The problem was my electric was joined with my neighbors and we did not have separate meters. Rather than correct the problem they forgave the utilities. They had no way of proving what was my charges, and which were my neighbors.

The lease agreement does not mention anything regarding paint, or repainting. I would assume a commercial building could be painted as it was a business. Plus the LL said we could paint it however we want. Can I dispute these charges? In addition, can they charge whatever percentage they want on a utility bill? After auditing my bills, I noticed they were significantly higher than what the utility company would charge, and I did not have a separate meter on my building. They ended up charging me and my neighbor percentages of the total use based on sq. footage.
 



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