A renter posted a viral video sharing what you need to do before moving out if you want your deposit back.
Michelle (@missmoneymichelle) has reached over 169,000 likes on her TikTok. She added a caption telling viewers, “If you’re renting, save this video and make sure to ask about this whenever you move out!”
To start her video, Michelle added an on-screen caption saying that her video will explain “what your landlord doesn’t want you to know.”
Michelle tells viewers, “don’t move out of your apartment before doing this.” She then switches her camera view to record herself as if she is having a reenacted conversation with her landlord.
She says, “Hey landlord, my boyfriend and I are moving out, can we have our security deposit back please?”
Acting as if she is the landlord, Michelle changes her camera view again and says, “You aren’t getting any of that back, we had to use all of it on repairs, and there were a lot.”
When it comes to landlords, trust but verify with this key trick
Michelle responds, “Well if that’s the case, I’d like the detailed receipt I’m legally entitled to, to see how much each of the repairs were.”
“You know that you’re legally entitled to that, huh?” Michelle says acting as the landlord.
“Yeah, and we might have hung up some picture frames but normal wear and tear can’t be used against us,” she responds.
Michelle says the landlord gave in at this point and responded, ““Fine, here are your receipts and half of the deposit back.”
A viewer in the comment section shared their personal experience with getting an apartment deposit back. “Old apt said I owed $587,” the comment said, “I asked them for pictures of damage and an itemized receipt. I then only owed $34.”
“Had a client show me an estimate from the landlord, told her to ask for paid receipts and all of a sudden she got her deposit back,” another said.
@missmoneymichelle If you’re renting, save this video and make sure to ask about this whenever you move out! 🏡 #moneytips #moneytok #financetips #financetok #savingmoney #moneyhacks ♬ original sound – Michelle • Money
According to the Texas Property Code, if a landlord uses a portion of a security deposit to repair damages, “they are required to give an itemized list of all deductions if the tenant has paid the entirety of their rent and there is no controversy over the rent.”
The Daily Dot reached out to request a comment from Michelle (@missmoneymichelle) via email.
