# Renters: Do you expect your full security deposit back? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 26, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873 "2010-03-26T14:25:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873/41 "2010-03-27T02:06:30Z")
The only time I didn’t get my full deposit back was completely fair - we hadn’t realized that the bed frame was ripping up the carpet under it. At my current place I expect to get all or most of it back, as I paid a pet deposit upfront. But I wouldn’t be _surprised_, or very upset really, if I didn’t. I have several pets, and am realistic about what it does to my rental options. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873/42 "2010-03-27T02:16:30Z")
I’d expect the security deposit back with interest. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873/43 "2010-03-27T03:02:33Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > I’d expect the security deposit back with interest. When I last moved it got the deposit plus about $70 in interest - colour me very pleased. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873/44 "2010-03-27T03:17:03Z")
> [@amaguri](#): > > My tenants just moved out. They were very pleasant, no problems at all, but they did have a small dog and a cat. There are no obvious signs of damage but I want to take $100 from the security deposit to have all of the carpets steam cleaned before someone else moves in. Thoughts? No. If there is no signs then you owe them the money back. If you want to steam clean it is your responsibility not theirs. Deposits are guarantees against damages, not against perceived “dirtyness”. ---
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873/45 "2010-03-27T03:23:41Z")
All right, you party-poopers. I gave them back 100% of their deposit. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873/46 "2010-03-27T03:29:00Z")
> [@amaguri](#): > > All right, you party-poopers. I gave them back 100% of their deposit. Yay!! Thank you from the bottom of my ever-renting heart. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873/47 "2010-03-27T04:04:10Z")
I never expect to see a penny of the security deposit. Even if I"m moving in the same city, I know the management company is holding all the cards. Moving sucks and I’m not burning a vacation day to sit in small claims court to bicker over a deposit. If I paid a significant deposit, then I’d fight harder. I’ll usually end up with about 50% of the deposit back. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873/48 "2010-03-27T04:41:22Z")
Here’s a .pdf from the Michigan Legislature that is a bit of a quick-reference guide with regards to tenant/landlord rights and responsibilities: > **[Landlord\_\_Tenant\_Guide\_10-2005.pdf](https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/AG/publications/2005/Landlord__Tenant_Guide_10-2005.pdf?rev=ea0c03c28c0a4e9cb272ec0e03695fb9)** I found it very helpful when I was telling a previous landlord that he could go fuck himself with a rusty hook if he thought I was paying $1,600 for what amounted to standard cleaning fees. No, I’m not bitter 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873/49 "2010-03-27T05:49:29Z")
I always got my full deposit. Back. I always left the place in good shape. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873/50 "2010-03-27T07:36:02Z")
I only had a landlord try to withhold my deposit once. Since the local law allowed for it, and since she was dumb enough to tell me beforehand that I wouldn’t get the deposit back, I register-mailed a letter stating I was going to use my last month as my deposit payback (i.e., not pay the last month). That was the landlord who hadn’t had the apartment ready for move-in; I had documents and witnesses showing that I’d had to make several legally-required repairs. Her agent called me once, quoting sales law (for some reason she kept doing that, quote sales law instead of renters’ law), I pointed her to the proper law, she never called again. Every other place I’ve had my full refund, and that’s having rented in six different countries (two US states, three Spanish provinces). I make very sure to read the lease in detail to determine whether it’s OK or not to use nails on the walls, use blu-tack on the walls, move the furniture around (yes, I’ve had leases which forbade this one)… and comply. If the lease doesn’t say I’ve got to pay for the painting and cleaning, then I expect the full refund. And you’re a sweetheart, **amaguri** 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873/51 "2010-03-27T20:54:12Z")
I have always gotten my deposits back [I steamclean the carpets and repaint my walls to hide any little patches on holes from hanging pictures] The one time that a rental office tried to screw mrAru and I over, we had a 319 line/set of polaroids list of crap wrong with the apartment from the original pre-rental walk through cosigned by the rental agent, and a cosigned document/polaroids documenting that there were still the original issues and no new ones when we got ready to turn the keys over after the end of the lease. We went through the complaint with a court issued negotiator [or whatever you call them] during the dispute, and they got yelled at and the issue dismissed as we disproved every single item on their list _except_ for the patch of wall popcorn that was worn off the wall [where the sofa back hits the wall] and the court officer stated that wall popcorn was impossible to NOT mark up and that it was a stupid wall finish in a rental unit and considered normal wear for a years tenancy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renters-do-you-expect-your-full-security-deposit-back/533873.md?page=2)