Recently my wife (elf feet) and I sold our house and hadn't found a new one yet, so we rented a property here in The Woodlands for six months. We paid all six months rent up front, and cared for the property as though it were our own. We didn't even unpack anything but the essentials. We didn't hang anything on any wall and only used two rooms and the kitchen during our time there.
We received our deposit back today, and the landlord had deducted $1,150 from our initial security deposit! His explanations are completely bogus, too.
1. Landscape and exterior items- $200
2. House cleaning- $150
3. Garage door opener doesn't work $325 total, $75 tenant co-pay
4. Carpet cleaning- $225.90
5. Management fee- $500
He goes on to say that it's obvious the lawn was never watered, which is why he charged $200 for landscaping. That's not true though. I have a receipt from Home Depot for a sprinkler, a written letter from neighbors saying that saw me watering the yard regularly, and a water bill consumption history that shows our usage dramatically increase in April, May, and June. But even if I didn't water the lawn (which I did), he can't charge some random amount for landscaping. He can only charge what it costs to restore it- and watering couldn't possibly be $200.
Both cleaning fees are completely bogus, as my wife worked hard to ensure that the house was cleaner than it was when we moved in. Unfortunately we cannot prove this, though.
Our lease does not allow for a tenant "co-pay" if something on the house breaks. Contractually, he cannot charge us $75 because the garage door opener stopped working.
Lastly, the $500 management fee is the most laughable of them all. His reasoning is that he had to manage and oversee all the work done to repair his house. But our lease does not allow him to do that.
With all that in mind, do any of you have any experience with small claims court? I'm seriously considering filing a claim because these charges are completely bogus.
Thanks for your help, and sorry for the long post!
We received our deposit back today, and the landlord had deducted $1,150 from our initial security deposit! His explanations are completely bogus, too.
1. Landscape and exterior items- $200
2. House cleaning- $150
3. Garage door opener doesn't work $325 total, $75 tenant co-pay
4. Carpet cleaning- $225.90
5. Management fee- $500
He goes on to say that it's obvious the lawn was never watered, which is why he charged $200 for landscaping. That's not true though. I have a receipt from Home Depot for a sprinkler, a written letter from neighbors saying that saw me watering the yard regularly, and a water bill consumption history that shows our usage dramatically increase in April, May, and June. But even if I didn't water the lawn (which I did), he can't charge some random amount for landscaping. He can only charge what it costs to restore it- and watering couldn't possibly be $200.
Both cleaning fees are completely bogus, as my wife worked hard to ensure that the house was cleaner than it was when we moved in. Unfortunately we cannot prove this, though.
Our lease does not allow for a tenant "co-pay" if something on the house breaks. Contractually, he cannot charge us $75 because the garage door opener stopped working.
Lastly, the $500 management fee is the most laughable of them all. His reasoning is that he had to manage and oversee all the work done to repair his house. But our lease does not allow him to do that.
With all that in mind, do any of you have any experience with small claims court? I'm seriously considering filing a claim because these charges are completely bogus.
Thanks for your help, and sorry for the long post!
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