Walk It Through: The Deposit That Did Not Come Back

Keys handed back, a forwarding address, a list of charges, and a check that comes up short.

A tenant hands back the keys to an apartment at the end of a lease.

Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.

One deposit on one apartment at the end of a fixed lease. A deposit on a lot for a mobile home, a lease ended early and a dispute over the condition at move in 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 a landlord holds that may be used only for damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, unpaid rent, rent due from ending early, unpaid utility charges, or, where a written agreement says so, the last period's rent.