If your landlord decides that they want to keep some or all of the security deposit, you will have a few options that you can choose to go with. You can contest the decision that the landlord gives, up to and including taking them to small claims court if you feel like they are keeping the amount and they should not. Of course, most tenants do not want to worry about litigation at all. It takes a lot of time and can raise tensions. And it can get expensive. It is better to work on some other   options to help you get the deposit back.

Some of the options that you can choose to help you handle this problem includes:

# Ask for specific information about the deposit: Even if the state doesn’t ask the landlord to do an itemized list of how the deposit was used, you can still ask them for it. Most landlords will have this available to give to you and this can give a better idea of what the money was spent on.

# Advocate for yourself: Be honest and open with the landlord and let them know some of the different reasons you think that you should get the deposit back. If you worked to keep the unit that you rented in good condition, tell the landlord that. You may even be able to discuss it with the landlord to discuss what you can do to make the apartment better.

# Write a demand letter: if nothing else is working, you can write out a demand letter. This is going to be a formal request that you make to the landlord to ask for the deposit to be returned. It should include specific reasons why you should get the deposit back and how much of it needs to be returned. Show as much proof as possible that you followed the terms of the lease to help bolster up the case a bit.

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