Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with deposit

Banks with Deposit@Home check scanning services?

sdis — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:02:35 -0800

NOW are there any banks with Deposit@Home check scanning? (That aren't USAA) This has been asked before, but it's 2 years later and one figures that there should be some progress on this front.

For years, USAA has offered (to its military clients only) the ability to scan the front and back of a check, send it to them electronically, and poof, your check is deposited. I'm a private, non-business, non-military USAA customer, and I don't get access to this. It's been 2 years since this was asked on MeFi; any updates?

Googling has so far informed me that some company called Checkfree has made a software package to sell to banks for this purpose in Feb, 2008, but I can't seem to find any banks promoting it. If this is available somewhere, where? If not, why on earth not?

Landlord unwilling to return cleaning deposit

monkeystronghold — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:00:15 -0800

My former landlord returned substantially less money from the cleaning deposit than expected. Should I bother with small claims court? I've left my rental home of two years, and I'm now having trouble with the landlord. At the time of move in, I paid a $500 damage deposit, and $125 pet fee, and a $500 refundable(?) cleaning deposit/fee. Check in condition agreement documented the home problems pretty thoroughly. Now, 30 days after move out, she sent a refund that kept the entire $500 depost for cleaning. It stated that she had paid $12 for 99 hours of cleaning.

Some additional information:

- The Rental Agreement is a standard form and says "Non-Refundable Fee". She crossed out the "Non-Refundable" part at the time of signing, changing the text to read "Cleaning". All other correspondence refers to this as a "Cleaning Deposit". Verbally, she said this money would be used for cleaning if the house was not cleaned upon vacating.

- I sincerely believe that I left the house as clean as when I moved in

- The house had been abused by the previous tenants. Carpet riddled with cigarette burns. The hardwood floors are untreated wood painted with wall paint. Holes in doors. Etc. This was not a house of refinement. I have emails to her documenting things we found to be broken, in addition to the move in report that accurately assesses the condition of the house.

- I requested a move out walkthrough on multiple occasions, and she never responded. The assessment that she sent stated that she paid for 99 hours of cleaning. The gap between my opinion (clean as when we moved in) and hers (99 hours of cleaning?!) is vast.

I tried to call to discuss it with her, calmly, and she got very upset and hung up. All correspondence since that time has been in writing.

I've lived in many rentals and never had a problem, so I have no idea what I should do next. Is small claims court worth the trouble? I'm in Oregon if it matters.

Subleasing tenant cosmetically damaged my table. How much, if any, of her deposit should I keep?

evadery — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:54:35 -0800

Subleasing tenant cosmetically damaged my table. How much, if any, of her deposit should I keep? I am in my late 20's and I had a tenant stay at my place for 4 months in the summer as I subleased another place with my fiancee (in town for the summer). She paid her rent on time, was courteous, kept the place in good condition, and all in all a good fit. Unfortunately, she left hair products on my antique wooden dining room table (passed from generation to generation) and left a large black waxy stain on it around the size of two fingers held together, but in an irregular pattern.

It was very noticeable, and compounding the problem, as I tried to remove it, I stripped some of the red from the previous refinishing of the table several years ago. So, before it it was pretty obvious and bad, and now it is very obvious and bad.

I have received a handful of quotes pricing out the cost of fixing the table, and the general guesstimate is around $300-$350 (not including transport of the table top, which may or may not fit in my car, and would cost $130 round trip at my favourite place). All parties say that touching up the area would be visible and not ideal, and the entire top of the table should be redone, but none of the legs, etc. The entire top would need to be redone regardless of whether I had removed some of the colouring, as the removal of the wax would necessitate the full work.

Other relevant facts:
-The tenant gave me a deposit of $825.
-The room is shared with a roommate, but I don't think there is any debate about who caused the damage.
-There are very slight discolourations on the table from resting glasses, etc, but before the wax I would have not considered getting it refinished under any circumstances.
-I will get it refurnished due to this problem, either now, or when I move out of my apt into a house (estimated time-10 months from now). I would not have gotten it refurnished otherwise.

So, hivemind, what should I do, and what is fair under the circumstances? If I did the work now, what percentage of the final cost should the tenant be charged? Thanks.

Depositing plain cash with ATMs?

Askiba — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:34:10 -0800

How safe is it to deposit plain old cash into a bank's ATM? This seems like a really strange question, but follow along with me for a bit.

Ever since I've gotten my bank account (at Chase) my mother has dissuaded me from making deposits, especially just cash, into ATMs. She insists that I can't trust them for such a procedure because the machine's contents are removed by people who don't work for the bank (on that note: is that even true?), and that I'm going to get robbed at some point.

Being teenage and all, I think my mom's theory on this is baseless. The one time I suggested that might not be true and that I'd just like to save everyone some time and just slip it in a deposit envelope, she gave me a disapproving look and said "Fine, do what you want, it's not my problem if you get robbed."

I've never heard such a thing happening to anyone, and I likely would have, because who wants their money getting swiped? But the idea got into my head and I've always used a clerk behind a desk to make a deposit in person. Personally, I'm getting extremely tired of it and I think it's wasting my time, not to mention the hapless clerk I have to ask to deposit the cash (especially when I just want to throw in $10 and no checks). I'll probably always use a desk clerk for large deposits involving several kinds of money, though.

So, should I really believe my mother's reasoning?

Breaking a lease and keeping the deposit?

wfrgms — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:12:38 -0800

Chicago Lease-breaking Filter: Advice for confronting a negligent landlord after the lease has been broken? Posting for a friend, but building on this old Ask-Me:

So my friend took an apartment with a 12-month lease in a not so great area. She suffered through the winter with an absentee landlord and various nit-picky problems which he promised to fix, but never did.

By the time the warmer month's rolled around my friend (who is white) began to encounter problems with the gang-banger-aged teens next door (who are not white.) This culminated in several confrontations, verbal assaults and led to her building being vandalized and egged several times. The police got involved several times to no avail.

Repeated appeals were made to the landlord to get involved, to come down and clean up the graffiti and the dried egg, which he didn't (it's still there to this day.)

Finally the friend had had enough, packed up her things and moved out two months before her lease was up. She literally did not feel safe in this apartment - which has no lock on the front gate (literally the lock is missing, something the landlord promised to fix when she first moved in.)

On Wednesday she's meeting with the landlord to turn over the keys and do a walk through of the apartment in the hopes that she can get some or all of her $650 deposit back.

She has a log of communications between her and the landlord, detailing conversations and unmet promises, as well as pictures of the property going back to the winter when she first moved in which document problems he never fixed. She now has pictures of the graffiti and damage inflicted by the neighbors.

My advice thus far has been this: print up all the pictures and organize them by date along with her detailed log. Present this to the landlord and basically say, "Look, you and I both know you haven't taken good care of this place or followed through on your promises. Give me back my deposit, and better luck with your next tenet." It's doubtful this approach will work, but it's a start.

The landlord is a youngish guy, this is his only property, and his first time being a landlord. The building is four units. It's unclear whether the landlord lives in one of the units, he's given mixed stories, but it's obvious he doesn't spend any time at the building.

Any advice on how to proceed? My friend incurred a lot of costs moving into her new apartment, and the $650 would go along way toward helping. She feels that the landlord was negligent on every level and feels that she has compelling proof of this.

Thanks!

New landlord trying to pull one over on me?

ourobouros — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:15:19 -0800

When I signed the lease on my apartment, I put down first month's rent, last month's rent, and security deposit. Now the building has changed hands, I'm moving out, and my brand-new landlord is telling me I need to pay last month's rent again and she'll refund it later, along with the security deposit. Does she have any right to require me to do this? New York is the state. This spring, my former landlord decided to sell the building, and will be handing over my lease and all my deposits to the new owner in the next few days. My lease ends at the end of July, and the new owner is forcing me to move out then (she wants to move into my place). I've loved living in this apartment, and I've had a great relationship with the old landlord. Unfortunately, I'll be dealing with the new landlord for the final month of my lease.

When I originally signed the lease, I put down $500 specifically for last month's rent (in addition to the security deposit); now, some years later, my rent has gone up to $635. I was just going to send her a check for $135 to cover the difference. She tells me I have to pay last month's rent again, in full, by the first, and that she'll refund it to me with the security deposit. That sounds crazy to me, and isn't supported by anything that I can find in the lease. I've checked out the NYS Tenant's Right's Guide and Housing Issues page, but can't find anything relevant.

Does her claim have any basis in fact? Do I have to cough up the whole $635 now and wait for her to refund the $500 later? Any specific statutes you can cite would be helpful, as would any advice on how to negotiate with her.

Bonus question: based on the way she's treated me so far, I have a feeling the new owner is going to try to keep my security deposit. Is there anything I can do to protect myself?

Thanks!

She wants a different dress.

wordsmith — Mon, 11 May 2009 09:45:58 -0800

My fiance bought a $1,000 wedding dress from a local (Chicago) shop, paying a $500 deposit. She wants a different dress now, from a different store, that is cheap enough to still be less than $1000 total (considering the previous deposit), so is thinking about not picking up the dress and eating the $500. But... ... is this kosher? Is this what the deposit is protecting the store from? She doesn't mind that she basically wasted $500, but she doesn't want the store coming back to her requesting the other $500.

The dress was ordered but has not been fitted.

Understandably, this varies from store to store and we should just call them and ask, but that sort of gives away our motive and could negatively effect the outcome. Plus, I'd rather have more info going into that conversation.

Do we have any sort of legal or ethical obligation to paying the full price for the dress if we're willing to give up the deposit?

We'd rather not futz with having to sell it. We have enough to worry about as is.

Landlord, give me my money back!

allisonrae — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:29:04 -0800

My previous landlord never returned my security deposit ($1,650) last autumn. I live in Chicago. Do I get an attorney (and if so how do I choose one) or do I take it to small claims court myself? What are the pros/cons of either approach? I have read this question already, and while that was helpful, I am wondering if anyone has any additional recommendations.

First off, I am pretty well documented. I was a tenant there for 2 years, and have copies of the deposit receipt & cleared checks. I have copies of my original lease termination letter and the demand of payment letter I sent via registered mail after 60 days. This guy was an incredibly MIA landlord (several days before repairing heater in 10° Chicago winter, incommunicado for a week after the gas co. shut off my line due to a leak, etc.)... so none of this is shocking. Other tenants had similar complaints, but to my knowledge, people rarely took him to task.

After reading up on Chicago tenant law I've seen that I am potentially owed interest and/or twice the amount of the original deposit.

Does getting an attorney increase the likelihood of getting the interest payment or does the cost of the attorney generally cancel that out? Am I better off to do small claims? (I have heard mixed things about Illinois Tenants Union, and that you pay a sizable membership fee to join before using their services.)

Thanks for any suggestions!

How do I get my money back?

mockdeep — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:01:48 -0800

I lived in a pretty crummy apartment for about three months with six other people. It was a pretty informal situation, no lease, people move in and people move out. The person moving in pays their deposit to the person moving out. Only, I didn't get my deposit back. What resort do I have? In an apartment that is so crowded someone is usually elected (or self-appointed) to collect the rent and send it to the landlord, and do other "responsible" stuff like looking for new roommates. Only, the person who found my replacement had them make out their deposit check to himself, instead of me. He tells me he had hit a rough spot, but he had a big commission check coming in so he would pay me my $450 in no time. And so goes the story, over and over again. It's been a year and a half now, and for a time I had pretty much given up on getting my money, but now I've gotten fired up about the situation again and I'm wondering what options I have aside from harassing him and threatening him. I heard from others that he had a raging drug habit and he definitely has the look.

What have you mighty MeFites?

I got ripped off by the person whose lease I took over. What should I do to recover my money?

Anonymous — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 06:53:29 -0800

I got ripped off by the person whose lease I took over. What should I do to recover my money? I wanted to take over this girl's lease. She said she needed a $1200 deposit, because that was what she had paid the management company initially. She said when the lease ended and she got that back from the management company, she would give it to me.

I gave her a check for $1000 last week. Today I gave her another one for $200 after we signed all the papers.

After we signed I found out there was no deposit with the management company. She had owed them $1200 in back rent, and she used my money to pay it off so she could leave.

I called her freaking out and she said not to worry, she will pay it back to me within one month (my mom was listening on speakerphone as she said that so I have a witness). She said she would email me within half an hour to confirm that she agreed to pay me back in one month.

Well it's been several hours and no email.

She's several states away by now, but the management company has her SSN, and parent's information on file so it won't be impossible to track her down if need be.

This is my question: what is the best way for me to get as much of my money back as possible?

Say you somehow got yourself into my situation. what would you do starting right now?

I do have receipts from her for all the money, and emails and text messages from her stating the lie she initially told me.

Is the best way to go hostile, even though that might scare her off and make it harder to recover my money? Soft and coaxing so she will at least try to give me some back? Help :(

Safest banks for my down payment?

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:56:23 -0800

I recently sold my house and got a significant chunk of money which I will be using for my next down payment. It's over the FDIC limit. With all the turmoil going on, I'm looking for suggestions of either a) good, solid FDIC-insured banks to open accounts in, or b) reliable, up-to-date sources of information on bank soundness that are understandable by ordinary folk. Details: I do not know exactly when I will be buying a house - it could be three months, it could be a year. All of the down payment money right now is in ING Direct savings accounts, as part of a revocable living trust. I need to protect between $300K and $400K.

I have banking relationships with USAA and WaMu already as well as ING. I'm not that keen to put anything more into WaMu until the dust settles on who they've raffled themselves off to. So I need two more $100K allowances. I would also like to get as good an interest rate as I can without locking myself into a CD.

Bonus points for having branches in the Berkeley area, for not aggressively pushing a bazillion other products once they've got my cash, and for being able to turn things around very fast when it's time to buy. (Even in this real estate market, houses around here close escrow quickly.)

So what are the best banks for me, or the best ways to find them? I've looked at bankrate.com; how accurate are their ratings?

Swallowed by the BoA behemoth

Saucy Intruder — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:55:51 -0800

Question for Bank of America checking account holders re: electronic bill paying. I need to make a monthly direct deposit to my mortgagee's non-BoA bank account. The mortgagee is not set up to receive automatic transfers through BoA's online bill pay system. How do I accomplish this without making a wire transfer (which involves walking into a branch each month and paying $20 for the privilege)?

The only solution I can come up with is to have BoA cut a check directly to the mortgagee's bank, and specify in the memo field the routing number and account number. I suspect, however, that this is not terribly secure or dependable. Any thoughts?

Is honesty the best policy?

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:39:34 -0800

How should I handle a broken window at my apartment? Last night, I was standing out on my balcony with some guests when a june bug flew into my face. I was startled, and jumped a bit. Unfortunately, I was standing next to my window and my sudden movement shattered the glass.

My guests suggested telling my landlords that I didn't break the window, but came home to find it in such a state due to someone throwing a stone or a large stick at it in my absence. I wanted to run this situation by the hivemind before proceeding.

Obviously, I'd like to get this taken care of without losing my deposit or damaging my rental history. I live in Washington state, if that makes a difference. Should I tell the truth when reporting this damage, or go with the recommendation of my guests? Would either scenario make that much of a difference? The true cause of the damage is accidental, but I'm worried that won't matter. I'm in good standing with my landlords, love my apartment and have no intentions of moving out anytime soon.

What should I do?

A deposit on an apartment we didn't move into has gone missing. Am I screwed?

GilloD — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:09:07 -0800

NYC real estate Q: We put a deposit on an apartment that became uninhabitable before we signed any forms or agreements. We decided to see if it was fixable, but in the meantime we found a new place to live. Now the owner doesn't want to give our deposit back. Are we screwed? A full, gripping narrative inside. So my wife and I have been apartment hunting for about two weeks. Last Wednesday, the 9th, we found a beautiful apartment for a good price. They sold it as a new construction, no problems except for a spot of water damage on the one ceiling. I take a picture, we agree it'll be in the lease. We toured the place, made sure everything worked and then put down a deposit (500$) on the space around 3 that afternoon. We returned around 6 to do a final tour and fill out some paperwork. While we were there, it began to rain. And then the bed rooms and downstairs flooded. I don't mean a trickle, we're talking full on flood, pouring from the recessed lighting, from the walls, inside the closets. The place was no longer fit for living in, the downstairs bedroom areas were ruined.

We called the broker who said he'd call the owner, find out how severe the problem was and get back to us Thursday morning. In the meantime I very stupidly let him hold on to the deposit. Thursday morning comes and goes and no word from Broker. I call him in the afternoon, around 12, and he says he has nothing to tell me yet, but keep looking at apartments. My deposit, he says, is safe with him. I inquire about getting it back, he says it won't a problem, he won't pass it to the owner.

Thursday passes, Friday passes and Friday evening he calls to say, "No word yet, but hold in there, I'll call you on Sunday, give you an update and you can decide whether or not to proceed". Sunday comes and goes, no call, but it was my sister's birthday so I wasn't 100% on point.

I call him Monday morning and leave a voicemail. Monday afternoon we find a beautiful apartment with a wonderful owner in a bigger space for less money. Great! I call Broker and he doesn't answer, so I leave a voicemail. I call again in the evening, but don't leave a voicemail.

Tuesday, I call Broker and he acts like his voicemail is broken and he never got my message. In the meantime he says he gave the Owner the deposit. He hems and haws a bit, goes ice cold on me and says he'll call back, that he has to talk to his boss. That evening his boss calls my wife, leaves a voicemail, but doesn't answer our return call. I call Broker, leave a voicemail.

Today I call Broker in the early afternoon he says that the Owner sent in a crew, he's not sure if he can get the deposit back. I tell him I never consented to giving the deposit over and reminded him that he said he'd check in on Sunday. He says he'll have to call his boss and see what can be done.

He calls this afternoon and wants me to talk to his boss. Before I do this, I want to see where we are legally speaking. Yes, we handed the deposit to him, but with the assurance that the deposit would not go to the owner without our consent. We DID NOT sign ANYTHING. No application, no lease, no contract, no agreement. Dumbdumbdumb, I know. But what's the status of a deposit in this case?

Almost certainly a crew we have to be sent in to clean up regardless. The space would surely have been illegal to rent in the shape it was in. Are they just looking to make this hard or am I well and truly screwed? Help rescue my money!

30 days or 60 days, that is the question...

djpyk — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:14:57 -0800

Landlord/Security deposit/renting filter: GA State law requires the security deposit to be returned within 30 days. My contract says after 60 days. Which wins? For GA state law, I referred to: this tenant/landlord info here.

Should I move out since there is no water?

PinkButterfly — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 09:03:51 -0800

Should I move out since there is no water? Sigh. I'll make this quick.

Subletting a room in a large house in Berkeley for the summer. Top floor has 5 bedrooms, bottom has two apartment units. The landlord lives in one of the rooms on the top floor, as do I and two other people. The two apartments have families in them, including a woman with a disabled daughter.

I just moved in last Wed. (May 28) from SoCal after corresponding with the landlord via email and phone for a few weeks. A Cal student needed someone to sublet the room before she moved in in the fall for school. Spoke with her too, but I couldn't come up and visit before moving in.

On Tuesday, the water was shut off by the city because they said there was an outstanding $1300 water bill. They have not turned it back on yet because...

The day before (Monday) the landlord left for vacation in Europe for two weeks, said he would be unreachable by phone but would check his email frequently. Well...it's 5 days later and he has yet to respond to a single email from anyone who lives here! We called his cell phone only to hear it ringing from his bedroom.

He left the name of a property manager, but when we called her she said she was only standing in as a favor to him and really couldn't do anything. She tried to reach the landlord's business partner, but hasn't been able to. The landlord said he won't be back until June 14.

Can I/should I move out? I tried to get him to sign a lease before I moved in, but he said he wanted to handle it once I got here. My housemates on the top floor moved in early-to mid-May and said he hadn't signed a lease with them either. When I got here on last Wednesday, he was away on business (he said). I didn't meet him until Sunday morning and then he left on Monday.

I sent him a full month's deposit and paid for half of May, even though I was only here from the 28th. I don't want to lose my deposit and don't want him to sue me for the remaining 2.5 months we agreed I was subletting (via email, not official lease).

It's Saturday so it'll be hard to find official help today.

What do you think I should do? Can I move out ? Where can I look for more information?

(I looked up similar questions but they were in other states.)

I want my two dollars!

headnsouth — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:18:57 -0800

Finance-filter: why does my bank take so long to make my deposits available to draw from? I can't make sense of the way banks hold on to my money and don't make it available to me for much longer than seems necessary. Electronic transfers ought to take nanoseconds ... and when I make a transfer from BankA to BankB, the deduction from BankA is immediate. However, an entire week can pass before BankB lists the funds as part of my "available balance." They may be listed before then as part of my "collected balance" and as part of my "current balance," but if I tried to use those funds I'd be charged overdraft fees.

This happens whether it's an electronic transfer across banks or within one bank, or whether I deposit cash, personal checks, or even USPS money orders. The only thing that seems to be available right away is employer direct deposit.

I can understand the bank wanting to hold that money overnight to make a quick buck in interest, or in the case of personal checks, give it time to clear, but otherwise it seems really excessive.

Can you guys explain to this English major (1) why guaranteed funds would need so long to clear & how banks justify keeping my money from me like this, and (2) the real difference between collected/current/available balance?

Can the electricity company charge a deposit regardless of credit?

stevechemist — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:03:58 -0800

I am new to renting and I just called the power company and they said that I have to pay a deposit no mater what my credit is. Is this normal practice? I am a college student at Penn State University and I am renting a townhouse in the area. When I called the power company (Allegheny Power) to create an account, they told me that no matter what my credit, I still have to pay a deposit equal to an estimated two months of electricity.

Their monthly estimate for a 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath townhouse is $160/month which I know for a fact is high because the previous tenant said their highest bill was $70/month. This made my deposit $320.

My questions to the hive-mind are is this a normal practice? Are they allowed to do that without even taking into account your credit?

Income Stream

kapec — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:00:09 -0800

What is the best investment vehicle for "income stream", i.e. where can you put your money and get a return that you could live off of? Any recommendations?

How to handle a landlord forging evidence in small claims court (VT)?

doomtop — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:11:13 -0800

How to handle a landlord forging evidence in small claims court (VT)? I may be filing suit in small claims court in Vermont against my previous landlord. He has withheld my entire security deposit and not given me any written statement of deductions as required by law.

Vermont Statutes Title 9, Chapter 137, § 4461 (e) states "If a landlord fails to return the security deposit with a statement within 14 days, the landlord forfeits the right to withhold any portion of the security deposit. If the failure is wilful, the landlord shall be liable for double the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney's fees and costs."

I have asked him to return my security deposit in full. He has offered to pay me a bit less than half of the whole deposit ($400) which I have refused and advised him to send me the full amount or I will be suing.

Assuming he does not pay, I will be suing. The one thing I am concerned about is because my claim is based on his failing to deliver me a written statement of deductions within the 14 days, how do I handle it if he forges a letter dated within the 14 days with the deductions statement and claims that he sent it?

I know that you are not my lawyer, etc. but any advice on this point is appreciated. Thanks!!

deposit phone home

D-ten — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:01:49 -0800

How can I figure out where a deposit in a deceased person's bank account is coming from? I'm working on the estate of a deceased parent. Everything has been going swimmingly until I was canceling a bank account. It was pointed out to me that a regular deposit was being made each month for x amount of dollars and it might be a good idea to find out who was doing it. This was said just as the account was being closed irrevocably.

I was also told the bank could not figure out where the deposit came from beyond what was on the deposit listing. There are three letters... 'RPS' ...and the words 'principal principal' and some numbers.

I hope that eventually some paperwork will come my way that will explain this. Is the bank just avoiding the question? Should I make a stink, give up, hire a detective?

It seems like it would be a pension payment. I don't have any paperwork referring to a pension or RPS in the deceased parent's files.

Thanks for any tips.

Sleazy landlord or justified expense

Silvertree — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:16:44 -0800

Old landlord claims they needed to replace carpet when we left. I say nothing was wrong above reasonable wear and tear. Indiana is the state in question. More details inside. My wife and I moved to a new apartment at the end of December. In our notice letter, we requested a walkthrough so we could see what, if any charges we could expect. They replied to our request despite several attempts, so I figured it wasn't necessary. At the end of last week, I received a letter in the mail detailing charges for replacing the carpet. After living there for 2.5 years, I didn't think there was anything wrong with the carpet that wouldn't be covered under "reasonable wear and tear".

I just spoke with the lady via phone and she stated that her carpet people smelled cat urine so they used a "special light and the cat had peed everywhere". I understand blacklights can be used for this purpose but I am very suspect that they took these steps. All I requested was some kind of proof that the carpet did need to be replaced, and I was told "we don't have to provide you with anything, other then the bill".

So what now? Can they just stick me without providing some kind of proof?

I read through other similar questions but didn't find the exact answer. I appreciate any help.

Help me get my meager rental deposit back

FlamingBore — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:05:42 -0800

My old landlord has not returned my deposit after more than three months and several phone calls and emails. Help. I left Somerville, MA at the beginning of October to relocate to Denver. I left the place in good repair, but left a few things in the apartment with knowledge and verbal approval of the landlord. The items were being left for the new tenant who expressed interest in them.

It's now three months later and I still have not received my deposit.

Details: I was on a month to month and never signed a lease. I paid the deposit via check. The deposit was just shy of $500. I've gotten her on the phone twice and she keeps promising to get it to me sans an hour of time for movers to remove the items I left (which sounds dodgy, but whatever).

I've lost my patience. What are my options?

How should I deposit a check that isn't made out to me?

colecovizion — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:28:39 -0800

How should I deposit a check that isn't made out to me? United refunded me for staying a night in a hotel in Singapore. However, they made the reimbursement out to the hotel and not to me. The hotel sent the check to me and I have it in my possession. The hotel will not cash it for me or do anything else to give me the money. United has been extremely slow in responding to my request to reissue a refund check (1 year). Is there anything I do to legally deposit this check without involving United? What sort of repercussions will happen if I decide to deposit this check as is?

Deposit required before work is begun...

dpcoffin — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 18:01:33 -0800

One of my clients insists that NO businesses expect to be paid up front, even in part, before beginning work... ...and she’s challenging me to show her any reasonable business person who is willing to pay “in advance” for pretty much anything. The best I can come up with are a few comments on web-design forums and some custom-instrument makers and other artists and crafts-people who work by commission. I’m looking for something a bit more compelling and easily demonstrated; you know, the one-liner argument-stopper that can’t be claimed to be a special-case, individual instance...

So, ARE there any big-time, every-day, basic industries in which a deposit up front is Standard Operating Procedure? What’s that obvious thing I’m forgetting?