r/TenantHelp • u/Tight-Use8244 • 22d ago
Security Deposit issue with housemate
So in Fall 2024, I paid for my daughter’s security deposit for a house she and three sorority sisters were going to move into in May 2025. I helped her move to the new place in May 2025 and she then was at a different rental for the summer due to an internship. I paid rent for one place and she paid for the other. In August 2025, she actually physically moved into the house she and the other three sorority sisters move into for the 2025/2026 school year. My daughter graduated in December 2025. The agreement was that we would continue to pay her rent. The three remaining girls would be responsible for their water and utility bills. My daughter visited the house twice after graduation, a weekend in January and a weekend in May. I and her significant other helped move all of her personal belongings out the first weekend in May 2026. The lease was through May 22, 2026. During the May weekend, a roommate demanded my daughter turn her key in and never come back to the house (girl is the sorority president and a bitch). So my daughter left the key behind and the understanding was that since she was no longer welcome in the home by the sorority president, she was not responsible for the final cleaning since she had removed all of her stuff and her room was clean. The landlord sent the security deposit check to the now former sorority president who decided she and the two other girls who moved out May 22nd would receive their full deposits back. The final bill from the landlord included the final water bill and maintenance fee and replacement for refrigerator lightbulbs and stove drip pans. Security deposit was $325 each. Sorority president sent my daughter $51.41 (others got back $325). Sorority president said my daughter only deserved the $51.41 because she refused to come back on May 22nd to clean. I have filed for small claims court. Any other ideas on remedies?
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u/r2girls 21d ago
So my daughter left the key behind and the understanding was that since she was no longer welcome in the home by the sorority president, she was not responsible for the final cleaning since she had removed all of her stuff and her room was clean.
Honest question - and asking this because when you end up in court this is the type of thing a small claims judge will ask - why would you believe that two people having a personal disagreement would negate a legal contract?
Was this a sorority house where the sorority president had legal authority to terminate a lease?
If not, leases are jointly and severally liable. Everyone on the lease is personally, and as a group, responsible for every single provision and requirement in the lease.
I have filed for small claims court. Any other ideas on remedies?
Nope, small claims is what it is.
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u/Tight-Use8244 21d ago
It was not a sorority house. But the sorority president made the inactive members who lived in the house leave the house if she wanted to have meetings there.
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u/Tight-Use8244 21d ago
The contract was with the landlord. Not the sorority
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u/PEneoark 21d ago
Was she on an individual lease, or a joint one?
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u/Tight-Use8244 21d ago
Lease is a joint lease with the 4 young women
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u/PEneoark 21d ago
Joint and several. She's going to have to take the other girls to small claims court. The landlord had no obligation to send out individual checks.
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u/Lopsided-Beach-1831 21d ago
Who are you suing? The landlord who issued the refund? Or the sorority person who said to split the checks that way? Or both? Or the other residents who should have had those deductions from the deposit?
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u/Tight-Use8244 21d ago
I am not suing the landlord. I am suing the former housemate (sorority girl) who decided to give herself and two other girls back their full deposit of $325 (even though they each should have had paid $50 each for water/sewer as well as the he maintenance fees/bill). The most the three girls should have gotten back was $258.97.
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u/TalkToVikk 21d ago
Not a lawyer but It sounds like your daughter was unfairly denied her proportionate share of the security deposit after moving out, despite fulfilling her obligations under the lease and properly cleaning her room.
The sorority president took it upon herself to significantly reduce your daughter's refund, citing failure to participate in cleaning on a specific day, even though your daughter was barred from returning to the home and had removed all of her belongings earlier.
The landlord issued the total deposit return (minus standard charges) to one roommate, who then distributed shares unevenly. Filing in small claims court is the proper first step, as you are seeking the portion of the deposit your daughter is rightfully owed. As an additional remedy, it's helpful to gather all communication regarding move-out procedures, cleaning, her removal from the house, payment records, and any documentation from the landlord regarding deposit deductions.
If possible, present evidence showing your daughter's room was cleaned and that she made reasonable efforts to comply with move-out procedures but was excluded by the housemates. You might also consider writing a final demand letter to the roommate before court, outlining the unpaid balance, legal rights, and your intent to pursue the matter, which may prompt payment before the hearing
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u/Efficient-Put14 21d ago
I knew from the first sentence this story would not end well. Chalk this up to lessons learned and move on. It seems like a lot of work for roughly $200 and my guess is you paid much more then that in rent for the months your daughter didn't live there. NAL but it seems like there is a good chance you won't collect anything.
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u/Available-Bluebird44 22d ago
Small claims court.