5 ms·

Do you have a deposit protection scheme like we have the the UK? Our refundable deposits don't sit with the landlord or letting agent, they go to a separate com

Do you have a deposit protection scheme like we have the the UK? Our refundable deposits don't sit with the landlord or letting agent, they go to a separate company. At the end they release the funds unless there is some sort of damage in which case they investigate and decide whats a fair payment to the landlord.

Kalium 8y ago
This varies by state. I know at least some states do.
oceanghost 8y ago
At least in California, no. My experience has always been the landlord makes up any excuse at all to keep the deposit and you fight them tooth and nail. California does have a fair number of renter protection laws, but the companies rarely observe them.
- thaumasiotes 8y ago
  My experience in California has been that the landlord didn't try to keep the deposit even when the rental contract arguably allowed them to.
tialaramex 8y ago
Like a lot of such mechanisms this does have a flaw that it's not really useful for the most vulnerable people. When someone like me gets screwed by a landlord (back before I bought somewhere outright) they can invoke the protection mechanism and even threaten to go to court, but when somebody who struggles every month to find rent gets screwed this way they're focused on how they'll afford food, they don't have the time or money to fight. Historically a lot of those people rented from their local government and so not mistreating them was a matter of government policy, subject to oversight by voters like me who certainly do have time and money. But these days it's likely to be whoever has the cheapest private rent offers. Local governments have been defunded so much they may not even have anybody left to even enforce licensing rules, so crooks who shouldn't even legally be letting properties can steal with impunity. Courts try to help. If you get to court. But most of these vulnerable people never will.
village-idiot 8y ago
Controlled on a city by city basis. In chicago the land lord must tell you exactly where the money is deposited pay you interest, and provide a precise disclosure from the city (even if there’s no deposit) or the whole lease is invalid. Most land lords therefore charge non-refundable “move in fees”. Other cities are different.

Kalium 8y ago

This varies by state. I know at least some states do.

oceanghost 8y ago

At least in California, no. My experience has always been the landlord makes up any excuse at all to keep the deposit and you fight them tooth and nail. California does have a fair number of renter protection laws, but the companies rarely observe them.

thaumasiotes 8y ago
My experience in California has been that the landlord didn't try to keep the deposit even when the rental contract arguably allowed them to.

tialaramex 8y ago

Like a lot of such mechanisms this does have a flaw that it's not really useful for the most vulnerable people. When someone like me gets screwed by a landlord (back before I bought somewhere outright) they can invoke the protection mechanism and even threaten to go to court, but when somebody who struggles every month to find rent gets screwed this way they're focused on how they'll afford food, they don't have the time or money to fight. Historically a lot of those people rented from their local government and so not mistreating them was a matter of government policy, subject to oversight by voters like me who certainly do have time and money. But these days it's likely to be whoever has the cheapest private rent offers. Local governments have been defunded so much they may not even have anybody left to even enforce licensing rules, so crooks who shouldn't even legally be letting properties can steal with impunity. Courts try to help. If you get to court. But most of these vulnerable people never will.

village-idiot 8y ago

Controlled on a city by city basis. In chicago the land lord must tell you exactly where the money is deposited pay you interest, and provide a precise disclosure from the city (even if there’s no deposit) or the whole lease is invalid. Most land lords therefore charge non-refundable “move in fees”. Other cities are different.