Memes

This is actually how it works in some places in Canada. It's a very effective system.

Check your local laws and ordinances, your landlords may be required to provide itemized expenses to you within a certain time frame. Where I am, it's within 30 days.

In Norway your deposit is payed into a special account in your name and both parties have to agree to it's release or settle in court. If the landlord takes some for repairs to abnormal damage (can't charge for "normal wear and tear") they have to provide proof that they used it for that (receipts etc).

It's different in my region.

Landlords have been challenged to show when and why they withold deposits. It's not guaranteed but when brought to the board the tenant often wins unless the landlord can present a good case.

Then again, we only rent from companies for a reason.

In Canada your landlord is required to pay back your deposit with interest, so if you gave them a $1000 deposit and stayed for 10 years and interest is at 5% they would be giving you back about $1600.

Very few actually do this and most of the time interest is so low nobody bothers to fight for it.

In my state they have to give you an itemized statement of damages and/or return your deposit within ~~30~~ 45 days or you're entitled to ~~tripple~~ double the amount.

The UK is pretty bad for tenants rights but they do force landlords to putting deposits into special accounts that have legal protections for the tenant, and if said landlord tries to avoid it you can usually easily win back a multiple value of your deposit with little the landlord can do.

Landlords regularly take the piss with claiming exorbitant amounts for "damages" which is harder to contest, and many of us just accept a few deductions even knowing they will just pocket it.

normally in brazil you have three alternatives:

• find someone who sponsors you: increasingly in disuse, since your sponsor needs to have property paid in full within municipality's limits, metro regions or in neighbouring cities, and a monthly income that is at least 3 times the rent and other associated expenses;
• pay an insurance: generally it amounts for an increase of 10-25% on top of your rent. however, by the end of the contract you won't have it back;
• traditional deposit: most tenants and real estate agents will charge you three rents in advance, since normally contracts have a standard 30-month length. after an year elapses and you decide to leave, you will receive your deposit in full with the inflation that incurred during that time. if you decide to leave before that year, you will have to pay a penalty of your rent multiplied by the number of months that are left in your contract divided by 10 (e.g. if you leave with about 24 months left, the penalty will be rent * 2.4). this penalty is usually waivered after 12 months. however, if you didn't really trashed out your former house, they will charge you painting and cleaning expenses (sometimes even if you paint and clean yourself, depending on how much son-of-a-b*tch they are).

Check unclaimed funds with states you've lived in. No shit. I did it last year and found like 1500 bucks just in deposits past landlords said I didn't deserve. The landlords might be shady but their accountants aren't.