Walk It Through: The Deposit That Did Not Come Back
A move out, fourteen days of silence, and a small claims case with no lawyers allowed.
A tenant moves out of an apartment in Hilo and hands back every key.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A tenant who left on time with no unpaid rent. A tenant who wrongfully quit, a pet deposit, and a sale of the building are left to the deposit page.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Security depositMoney held by the landlord for unpaid rent, damage, keys, cleaning, wrongful quitting, pet damage and unpaid utilities the landlord provided, no more than one month's rent plus a pet deposit.
- Wrongfully quitA tenant absent for twenty days or more without written notice to the landlord, during a period no rent was paid for, is deemed to have wrongfully quit.
- Summary possessionThe proceeding that restores possession of premises held without right after a tenancy ends, leading to a judgment and a writ of possession.