Countertop Replacement Security Deduction

By anonymous

So, there was a small burn on the countertop in our kitchen; I believe the countertop was standard formica, but I’m not entirely certain – at any rate, it was a wooden frame with a thin waterproof countertop. The burn was small, so I didn’t do anything to remove or repair it before moving out – but now I’ve been charged nearly $600 out of my deposit to replace the thing. This seems utterly ridiculous – the guys next door who partied all the time got their whole deposit back, despite breaking doors and hand rails and punching holes in walls. The deposit was $1000, and since there were two other renters, this basically wipes out two shares of the deposit.

One roommate has already spoken to them about it, and the landlord told us that if we’re not happy with it, we can take them to court. I want to know if I’d even have a case here, since they didn’t contact us about the repair and clearly spent too much on an outside contractor, and whether there’s anyone I can go to who can help me out for free, since I don’t have money for a lawyer. When something like this comes up I immediately think of the ACLU, and I have to think there’s some kind of group that can help out with problems like this as well.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

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Holy Cow, we couldn't find any other related post. Sorry. :(