
How to Handle a Security Deposit Dispute
When a tenant disputes your deposit deductions, the outcome comes down to your records and your deadline. Here is how to handle a dispute, step by step, and how to win one.
Practical how-tos for landlords and property managers documenting the condition of a rental at every stage of a tenancy.

When a tenant disputes your deposit deductions, the outcome comes down to your records and your deadline. Here is how to handle a dispute, step by step, and how to win one.

A clear, dispute-ready property condition report protects your deposit decisions. Here is what to record at move-in and move-out, room by room, and how to keep it.

A deposit deduction is only as strong as the itemized statement behind it. Here is how to build each line so it survives a dispute: the damage, the dated proof, the real cost, and the deadline.

You can deduct from a deposit for damage, not for normal wear. Here is the line between the two, surface by surface, and how to document which one you are looking at.