I am a college student in my fifth, and final, year at Minnesota State University Mankato.in my past four years here I have had some major problems with security deposits but none as large as this. For the record, the reasons for the previous problems are strictly because I am a college student.
All properties were left in "as good as" or "better than" condition than they were when I moved in. My most recent apartment was rented from Huntington Hills in Mankato. I moved in with 4 other male roommates. When I moved in I was aware that there was a $310 dollar security deposit due and signed a lease that said that. Month after month went by and I was never asked to pay.
Having been burned on deposits before, I was not about to volunteer my deposit. Three other roommates paid all $310 and one paid $150. The real problem was when I agreed to baby sit a pair of cats for one weekend. Not telling any of my roommates I agreed. The owner of the company happened to walk by and see one of the cats in the window. This was clearly in violation of the lease and I am not arguing that.
The caretaker contacted my roommate that day and he in turn contacted me. I called the caretaker and explained that I was watching the cats for two days and they would be gone immediately. She said she would call the owner and let him know. After that we heard nothing else. That was on or around Memorial Day 2002. When we moved out August ninth the caretaker walked through with one of my roommates and said that everything was fine except the two showers were dirty.
I then went in and cleaned the one shower I was responsible for, as we didn't have to be out by the tenth. Now, as of yesterday, our landlords are withholding everyone's deposits based on the fact that they had to have the carpet floors cleaned for $250 and then re-deodorized for another $50. They are saying that if the smell does not lift by January that they will keep all of the deposits and an additional $2500.00 for new carpet. I don't really no what to do at this point.
I have roommates, understandably, angry at me and if this goes through I will be responsible for the damages. For having two cats, for two days, kept in one bedroom out of a five bedroom house. Not only do they want to replace the carpet in the room they saw the cat in, they want to replace the entire downstairs. I feel I am being taken advantage of. I understand I broke the rule on the lease but what they are doing seems very extreme.
I believe that they are trying to get new carpet in their apartment on me. My thought is to contact a police officer to go to the apartment with me and basically just smell. Maybe have the officer sign something saying it smells fine? I don't want to overstep my boundaries though. I apologize for the e-mail being so long but I wanted you to have an exact idea of what happened.
Thank you for you help
Please contact me if you can, I understand you are very busy but I could really use the advice.
Thanks again
I might add that I don't think any of my roomates recieved a reciept for their secuirity deposit. I found a federal law that says the following:
Any landlord or landlord's agent who receives a security deposit from a tenant or prospective tenant shall give said tenant or prospective tenant at the time of receiving such security deposit a receipt indicating the amount of such security deposit, the name of the person receiving it and, in the case of an agent, the name of the landlord for whom such security deposit is received, the date on which it is received, and a description of the dwelling unit. The receipt shall be signed by the person receiving the security deposit. Failure to comply with this subsection shall entitle the tenant to immediate return of security deposit.
Scott
Mankato, Minnesota
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