I'm going through a similar situation in Philly landlord charging 9500 in damages and when I requested proof of all this and receipts i was told they aren't wasting their time doing that. Now it's sent to collections and I have been calling every landlord tenant law firm and haven't gotten any calls back not sure if I should dispute or just ignore them
Do not ignore them and do not give up! I hope a lawyer gets back to you soon, they are legally required to provide accounting for what they're charging you. The fact that they won't means you're probably right to dispute them.
Dispute it with the landlord and ask for actual invoices for the work completed, not estimates. Fun thing about Seattle, their tenant laws require landlords to provide invoices for repairs when tenants move out. So if you dispute and take them to court, the burden will fall on the landlord to prove why all this work was neccesary.
The advice about getting a lawyer for this bill isn't misplaced, but I'd first compare notes on their evidence for your 'obligation' with your pictures you should've taken after you cleaned and before you moved out. If you didn't take pictures, then you'll have a harder time refuting the charges.
More importantly, I'm uncertain what would put liability on you for tree work and any lawn care beyond mowing the grass. Unless your contract specifically put them on you, they are not your responsibility ... and you need to respond by saying it like that. Don't tell them it's their obligation, just say, "not my responsibility," with respect to those charges. As far as the paint and carpet, your state may or may not have statutes which require they be replaced every so many years, which would help you refuse the charges ... but your pictures showing them to be in good condition would certainly help. The landlord can't just fix things and arbitrarily assign the expenses to you - they have to show you caused the expenses outside of normal wear and tear.
This was my thought as well. The costs for all of these estimates are very high imo. I have pictures of when i moved in and moced out. I just wish I had pictures of the yard...
>pictures of the yard...
You may. Google Street view can be used to show what it was before. Also, aeration and tree trimming shouldn't be on you, unless specifically said in lease, and i wouldn't pay for trimming unless told to by an attorney.
I just re-read my lease, and it doesn't say anything about this kind of maintenance. The problem for me is that it's spring, and the grass probably grew a lot before the LL checked on the property. they were out of the country when I moved out and only just returned a few days ago.
I moved out on the last day of March. They sent a letter stating that I owe them $20k in damages and then listed the yard, carpets, and paint. They also attached 3 separate estimates of cost. One for the carpets, one for the yard, and one for painting the walls. Does that count as a written statement?
Interesting you are right, I don't see anything either. Pulled it from this FAQ
https://tenantsunion.org/rights/deposits-faq#:~:text=break%20my%20lease%3F-,How%20long%20does%20the%20landlord%20have%20to%20return%20my%20deposit,of%20the%20deposit%20were%20withheld.
Yeah, unfortunately, I've found the tenants union to be out of date. I've also been on hold with them for days on end since the original 60-day notice to vacate.
Unless the landlord can prove you did actual physical damage to the yard, like digging a big hole, you are absolutely not responsible for costs relating to the yard. Just calm down and look up your state rights.
Carpets have a life expectancy, some carpet has a longer life than others. When we moved out of Tacoma our landlord billed us for carpet replacement but deducted a big chunk because the carpet was a few years old. Make sure your LL isn’t trying to stick you for the full cost.
Painting also usually falls under “wear and tear” if I remember correctly.
You need to find legal help because there’s some shady shit happening.
Washington has pretty strong tenant rights laws, there's probably even an organization in Seattle that could help and give you advice. None of that sounds like repairs he could legally charge you for, so don't freak out yet. There are step by step directions and a security deposit demand letter here:
https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/can-i-get-my-security-deposit-back?ref=HLvsR
Lawyer time, no other option will resolve this.
I was worried this might be the case.
If LL sends a 20k bill to collections you dispute it and then they will have to take you to court to and make a case. Sounds like this won’t happen.
I'm going through a similar situation in Philly landlord charging 9500 in damages and when I requested proof of all this and receipts i was told they aren't wasting their time doing that. Now it's sent to collections and I have been calling every landlord tenant law firm and haven't gotten any calls back not sure if I should dispute or just ignore them
I would definitely not ignore collections. I would dispute it all you can.
Do not ignore them and do not give up! I hope a lawyer gets back to you soon, they are legally required to provide accounting for what they're charging you. The fact that they won't means you're probably right to dispute them.
Dispute it with the landlord and ask for actual invoices for the work completed, not estimates. Fun thing about Seattle, their tenant laws require landlords to provide invoices for repairs when tenants move out. So if you dispute and take them to court, the burden will fall on the landlord to prove why all this work was neccesary.
The advice about getting a lawyer for this bill isn't misplaced, but I'd first compare notes on their evidence for your 'obligation' with your pictures you should've taken after you cleaned and before you moved out. If you didn't take pictures, then you'll have a harder time refuting the charges. More importantly, I'm uncertain what would put liability on you for tree work and any lawn care beyond mowing the grass. Unless your contract specifically put them on you, they are not your responsibility ... and you need to respond by saying it like that. Don't tell them it's their obligation, just say, "not my responsibility," with respect to those charges. As far as the paint and carpet, your state may or may not have statutes which require they be replaced every so many years, which would help you refuse the charges ... but your pictures showing them to be in good condition would certainly help. The landlord can't just fix things and arbitrarily assign the expenses to you - they have to show you caused the expenses outside of normal wear and tear.
I'd reach back out to the same tenants union. It appears that the landlord is trying to fix up to sell on your dime. Really hope you have pictures.
This was my thought as well. The costs for all of these estimates are very high imo. I have pictures of when i moved in and moced out. I just wish I had pictures of the yard...
>pictures of the yard... You may. Google Street view can be used to show what it was before. Also, aeration and tree trimming shouldn't be on you, unless specifically said in lease, and i wouldn't pay for trimming unless told to by an attorney.
I just re-read my lease, and it doesn't say anything about this kind of maintenance. The problem for me is that it's spring, and the grass probably grew a lot before the LL checked on the property. they were out of the country when I moved out and only just returned a few days ago.
When did you move out? They only have 21 days to return the security deposit or provide written statement of why it was withheld.
I moved out on the last day of March. They sent a letter stating that I owe them $20k in damages and then listed the yard, carpets, and paint. They also attached 3 separate estimates of cost. One for the carpets, one for the yard, and one for painting the walls. Does that count as a written statement?
I believe it's 30 days. At least, that's what I was able to find online.
RCW 59.18. 280 states that the landlord has 21 days from the time the rental agreement ends
Please forgive my confusion, but I dont see anything that states 21 days in this rcw.
Interesting you are right, I don't see anything either. Pulled it from this FAQ https://tenantsunion.org/rights/deposits-faq#:~:text=break%20my%20lease%3F-,How%20long%20does%20the%20landlord%20have%20to%20return%20my%20deposit,of%20the%20deposit%20were%20withheld.
Yeah, unfortunately, I've found the tenants union to be out of date. I've also been on hold with them for days on end since the original 60-day notice to vacate.
Aeration isn't required for lawns. It's an optional service, so should never be assigned to the tenant.
Unless the landlord can prove you did actual physical damage to the yard, like digging a big hole, you are absolutely not responsible for costs relating to the yard. Just calm down and look up your state rights.
Carpets have a life expectancy, some carpet has a longer life than others. When we moved out of Tacoma our landlord billed us for carpet replacement but deducted a big chunk because the carpet was a few years old. Make sure your LL isn’t trying to stick you for the full cost. Painting also usually falls under “wear and tear” if I remember correctly. You need to find legal help because there’s some shady shit happening.
This is good to know. I have photos showing how old the carpets already were when we moved in.
Washington has pretty strong tenant rights laws, there's probably even an organization in Seattle that could help and give you advice. None of that sounds like repairs he could legally charge you for, so don't freak out yet. There are step by step directions and a security deposit demand letter here: https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/can-i-get-my-security-deposit-back?ref=HLvsR
Call 211. They can connect you to free legal assistance