I MOVED OUT OF A COMPLEX AND THE MANAGER TOOK OVER SIX HUNDRED DALLORS FROM MY 1,396.00?
the complex manager claimed i had roach infestation i explained i told the pest control that they were coming from the lady next door i did not have a door sweep and the bottom of my door was warped no one did anything about it, when i went to the manager to please walk me he said they do not do it until 3 days after i leave , pryor to moving you have to do a check list i cleaned the bathroom i cleaned the cupboards , scrub the oven swept and cleaned the flours vacuumed the carpet cleans the mirrors swept the their little porch . the manager said it will take 3 weeks to get my deposit called three weeks after that’s when he told me about roaches so he said he will only take 300.00 from my deposit i did not like that but you what could i do. their is a site on the internet to rate the apartment and give a review. i write why i did-not like the complex i never said anything about the staff because the were cordial and kind and when i need something done they were prompt,i did wrote they that they took out 300.00 dollars from my deposit. the manager decide to write me back an open letter on the site and and proceed to tell me how i left the apartment and said he should have taken out more for the roaches and how horrible my apartment i told him i lived there 5 yrs for four of those years and never had a problem until he came and change the pest control looked i finally got the certified letter for me to sign off on because of my negative review he decided proceed to take out more than he was suppose to including the toilet that had build up of hard water this is the state of florida mind you ,it did not matter how much i scrubbed it my family and i (there was four )of us because they were charging me for the days the key was not turned in so i was press for time so we all cleaned the apartment it is now 8 weeks and i have not gotten my deposit i called to speak to the manager they said he is has a client i was outside in the car when i called i went in and he was sitting at the bar with maintenance shooting th breeze i called him and he was so frightened when he saw me i asked what going on with the remainder of my deposit he claimed that his boss did not sign off on the check yet and he will call me i cant seem to find the Corporation that owns the complex because i am over it. what are my options. i am livid and i want justice.

May 25th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
Check out FL state law on return of deposit
In most states, LL must send letter stating problems and itemizing deductions within X days
Then within Y days they must return deposit minus any deductions
In some states, failure to comply means (if you sue them and win) that they must pay treble (3X) damages to you
USE spellcheck and standard punctuation and we can more easily figure out what you are saying. And if you go to court, use standard sentence structure, correct spelling, and make a concise history of events.
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May 25th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
WRITE IT DON’T SAY IT!
Check with the Fair Housing Unit in your area–most cities they have fifteen days to return the balance of your security deposit; some up to thirty days.
Always take pictures of before you moved into the unit, and pictures of when you moved out of the unit. Request for the manger or owner to come a verify the condition after you removed all of your personal items.
By law they have to give you a written itemize list of all of the deductions from your security deposit. They can not deduct charges for something that was not caused my you, and you have documentations that the problem was bought to their attention.
Former Apartment Manager
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May 25th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
I would find an attorney that is free and discuss it with him/her, you can find them in the yellow pages…”Consultation 1 hour free”.
Former Apartment Manager
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May 25th, 2011 at 11:34 pm
You need to be careful about following him around, that is harassment and stalker behaviour, he could get you locked up for that. I can tell you that if a tenant was following me I would not hesitate to get the police involved.
Former Apartment Manager
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May 26th, 2011 at 12:34 am
Your landlord has absolutely NO CLAIMS to your security deposit unless he sent a letter to you within 15 days of you vacating, if he did and you did not dispute the $300 then he can deduct the money and refund you the balance within 30 days. In Florida a landlord must return a security deposit within 15 days of you vacating the unit unless placing a claim on all or a portion of the deposit. Within that 15 days they must send you a certified letter to make a claim on your security deposit, if they fail to send you that letter within 15 days of you vacating then they cannot lay a claim to the deposit at all and must refund the entire deposit. If he sent a letter and you were ok with the $300 then he cannot deduct any more than what he stated in the letter, he cannot change his mind because you wrote that the complex sucked, if he went about the claim legally he’s only entitled to what he said he would deduct in his letter.
As for the cleanliness of the unit if you did not take photos then it’s your word against his there’s nothing you can do and would lose in court if you tried to sue.
If you did not go back to do the walk thru 3 days after you vacated then you are at fault and have to now suffer because you were not there when they did the walk thru.
His saying that his manager did not sign off on the check is a violation, Florida Statutes claim that they must send notice of claim within 15 days or they are out of luck on any claims whatsoever. they should know that and their property management company must follow Florida Tenant Landlord Law and Statutes failure to abide can render their company in violation with FREC, the Florida Real Estate Commission and the Dept of Agriculture. I’ve attached a website that explains that you can file a compliant with the Dept of Agriculture and consumer services if the landlord did not follow the laws properly.
Good luck
http://www.800helpfla.com/landlord_text.html
http://www2.fiu.edu/~caj/landlordtenantinformation.htm
Licensed Florida Real Estate Sales Associate, 16 years in property management 11 years in Florida property management.
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May 26th, 2011 at 1:34 am
You first need to find out the time frame that a landlord has to return your deposit or send a letter stating your deposit will not be returned, and then outlining why.
Sounds like the only way you are going to get your deposit back is to sue them in small claims. Perhaps you can rattle their cage with this, and it will get them to write a check faster. In some states, if they do not return the deposit within the legal time frame you can sue for up to 3x your deposit.
http://www.800helpfla.com/landlord_text.html
http://www2.fiu.edu/~caj/landlordtenantinformation.htm
Licensed Florida Real Estate Sales Associate, 16 years in property management 11 years in Florida property management.
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