# Landlord withholding deposit in IL. I could use some advice

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/landlord-withholding-deposit-in-il-i-could-use-some-advice/573742>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 7, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/landlord-withholding-deposit-in-il-i-could-use-some-advice/573742 "2011-03-07T03:38:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 22

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**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/landlord-withholding-deposit-in-il-i-could-use-some-advice/573742/22 "2011-03-08T12:24:24Z")

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Okay I just checked my mail. She claims now that I caused the rollout bed to smell bad so she plans on replacing the whole thing (which is categorically impossible, her sheet stayed on it the 3 months I used it, and I put a futon mattress+another sheet of my own on top of it). But even if I had caused the bed to smell, which I didn’t, she would only have cause to replace the mattress, not the whole frame+mattress assembly.

She also says she has a contractor coming out to assess damage to the area of the carpet where my chair was sitting and she is planning on replacing the entire carpet. heh. I told her that replacing the entire carpet and entire bed were not acceptable to me, and I believed she was intentionally dealing with me in bad faith now. Didn’t break out the small claims gem yet but I provided her with 2 of the links given to me by alice\_in\_wonderland. Thanks again for the support 🙂

I think I scared her into claiming that she was planning to provide me with receipts all along, at least. I know gut feelings aren’t admissible as evidence, but I feel quite sure she was planning to hang onto the deposit without accounting for it until I demonstrated my knowledge of tenant law. yay for progress \<3

Also I would be leery of getting a law student to type up an official-looking letter. It’s illegal to impersonate a lawyer and I don’t want to risk that kind of exposure.

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