My landlord tried to keep my security deposit for 'normal wear and tear' - here's what I pulled

I moved out of my apartment in Austin last month and the landlord sent me a bill for $850 saying the carpet had 'excessive stains' and the walls needed repainting. I did some digging on the Texas Property Code and found out that carpets only last 5 years for depreciation purposes. My carpet was 6 years old so it was basically worth zero already. I ended up sending them a formal demand letter citing the specific law and they backed off completely. Has anyone else successfully fought a deposit deduction using depreciation schedules?

2 comments

2 Comments

quinnm9016d ago

Did you actually get an itemized list from them showing the deductions? Landlords in Texas have to provide that within 30 days or they forfeit the deposit entirely, not just the disputed amount. That's what forced my old landlord to cut me a check when they tried pulling the same thing.

william81616d ago

Sounds like a lot of hassle for a few hundred bucks.