I rented an old house on a month-to-month lease. It wasn’t updated and didn’t even come with a refrigerator. I was young, didn’t have much money, and only owned things I truly needed. Because of that, I always took care of my things—and I treated other people’s things with the same respect.
I took good care of the little house. I planted flowers, kept the grass neat, put up curtains, and made sure it stayed clean and uncluttered. My rent was always paid on time.
At first, I didn’t know what to do about a fridge, so I used a cooler. Then, I found an old one sitting in the shed. It was… vintage.
But it worked! With some help, I got it inside, cleaned it up, and suddenly, I had a fridge. I even painted it with appliance paint to make it look almost new. (Well, as new as a 40-year-old fridge could look!)
After six months, I got a job offer in a bigger city—the same city where my landlord lived in a very nice area. I gave him my 30-day notice, expecting it wouldn’t be a big deal.
But instead of being understanding, he got nasty. He complained that I was making his life difficult and that he was too busy to deal with re-renting the place. I wanted to ask why he even owned rental property if he didn’t have time for it, but I kept quiet.
When I moved out, I left the house just as I had found it. I took everything I owned, cleaned the place from top to bottom, and made sure it was ready for him to show to new renters. I even left the working fridge, plugged in and spotless, in the kitchen.
A few weeks later, I got an envelope in the mail from my landlord. I thought it was my deposit refund.
Nope.
It was a bill.
He claimed I had left the place a mess, filled with trash, dirty clothes, and junk. He said the house smelled like cat pee (I didn’t even have a cat) and that the fridge was full of rotten food. He claimed it took him weeks to clean it up and included charges for hauling away garbage.
I was furious. That $500 deposit was a lot of money to me—I had just spent everything I had on moving costs and a deposit for my new place.
I went to a free consultation with a lawyer. He told me about a little-known rule in our area: if a landlord didn’t return a deposit on time, they owed the renter a $20 late fee per day until it was paid. He also said most landlords didn’t bother showing up in court unless they had a strong case, because they usually lost.
So, I took his advice and filed a small claims case.
On the day of the hearing, my landlord actually showed up. This “very busy” man had made time to come to court just to fight returning a rental deposit to a 23-year-old woman making barely above minimum wage.
He confidently told the judge that I had left the house a disaster. He said the place was filthy, covered in trash, and that I had been constantly late on rent, making his life miserable. He even claimed he had to rent a truck to haul everything away.
I was stunned. He was lying so smoothly, like he had done this before.
Then, the judge asked if he had rented the house out again.
“Yes,” he said.
“How long was it vacant?” the judge asked.
“About ten days,” he admitted.
Now, it was my turn.
I denied all of his claims. Then, the judge asked if I had any proof.
The landlord smirked, probably thinking, She’s young. She won’t have anything to back up her side.
He was wrong.
I pulled out my file.
First, I showed every rent check, all clearly stamped with the dates they were deposited. They proved I was never late on rent.
Then, I took out a stack of photos, each with a copy of the local newspaper visible in the shot to prove the date. The photos showed every room in the house, the yard, the shed—everything. It was spotless.
I also pointed out something important: he had rented me the house without a fridge, but I had left him a perfectly working one.
Then, for the final touch, I pulled out an ad he had placed for the house—just two days after I moved out.
The ad described the home as “immaculately cared for, sparkling clean home with restored vintage appliances.”
The judge looked at the checks. Then the photos. Then the ad. Then at me.
Then, he turned to my landlord and said:
“Please provide Miss Smith with a check for $1,800 within five days. If you are late by even one day, the amount will double daily until we reach the court’s limit. You should be ashamed of yourself for taking advantage of your renters—especially for the price you’re charging! This young lady improved your property, allowing you to raise the rent by $75 a month. Yet you stood here and lied. According to your own ad, placed two days after she moved out, you described the property as ‘immaculately cared for.’ How could that be true if she left it such a mess? You’re on my radar, Mr. Asshole. Don’t let me see you in my courtroom again.”
The next day, a courier arrived with my check.
To be honest? A little part of me had hoped he’d be late. 😊
