Everyday situations
How to get your security deposit back
Base the conversation on the lease and the move-in and move-out inventory, not on who is right. Separate normal wear and tear from actual damage and ask for the deductions in writing. End the conversation with an amount and a date for the transfer.
How to handle this conversation
Have your documents with you
The lease, the inventory, photos from move-in and move-out. With them you can say: “The photos from the day I moved in already show this scratch on the counter.”
Name normal wear and tear
Slightly scuffed walls after three years are not the same as damage. Say: “I understand a deduction for the cracked mirror, but not for repainting after three years of living here.”
Ask for the breakdown in writing
A vague “a few things will need fixing” is hard to check. Ask: “Could you send me a list of deductions with amounts and receipts?”
Agree on an amount and a date
To finish: “So that is 3,200 back by Friday by bank transfer, and the mirror is settled against the receipt, right?” Confirm it in a message afterwards.
I ask for my deposit back
- Difficulty
- Medium to hard
- Duration
- 8-12 minutes
The situation
You have rented the flat for three years and have just moved out. Two weeks have passed and the landlord has not returned the deposit. In a message he wrote that he “needs to work out the damage” and mentioned repainting the whole flat and replacing a dishwasher that worked fine. You arrange a phone call because you want your money back without going to court.
Who you talk to
The landlord
Polite but convinced the deposit is there to refresh the flat before the next tenant. Lists small defects, quotes amounts from memory and keeps putting off a decision.
The counterpart also has private goals and information that are never shown upfront. You discover them only through the conversation, the same way you would in real life.
What makes it hard
- The landlord treats normal wear and tear as damage and wants it paid for.
- He quotes amounts with no receipts or estimates.
- He plays for time: “I will pay once I find a contractor and work it out.”
Your goals
- Separate normal wear and tear from actual damage
- Get the deductions in writing
- Agree on the amount and the date of the refund
What the report looks at
- Whether your arguments rely on the lease, the inventory and photos
- How you respond to vague claims with no amounts or receipts
- Whether you keep a calm tone as the conversation drags on
- Whether the conversation ends with an amount and a transfer date