MOVING OUT
Document the apartment once more after you've emptied it out. Ross suggests using some old media to prove that you took the pictures on the date you say you did: "Hold up that day's newspaper so that the date is visible in the photos."
The landlord has 30 days to either send you the full security deposit with interest or explain why not.
"If they are making a deduction for any damages, they need to send an itemized list stating the nature of the repair, and it must be signed under penalty of perjury above the landlord's signature," says Ross.
If the landlord fails to follow the security deposit law, they might be doing you a big favor — it allows you to take them to court and collect three times the security deposit.
"If the landlord hasn't complied with the law, it doesn't even matter whether the tenants damaged the apartment or not," says Ross. "The landlord can sue separately for the damages, but he will still have to pay three times the security deposit."
Courts will also make the landlord pay the tenant's legal fees, which means lawyers may take a solid security-deposit case without asking for any money upfront.
Noah Schaffer can be reached at noahschaffer@yahoo.com.
Related:
A room of your own, 37 things to do before finals, Get out on the cheap, More 
- A room of your own
It's about time you move into your own place, where you don't have to hide the bong and friends can visit whenever they want. But first, you probably need some advice.
- 37 things to do before finals
You're back from the holiday break and are ready to fill in the social calendar that stretches from here to the end of the semester. Check out these entries and get ready to get busy .
- Get out on the cheap
As eyes may roll, and thoughts of sliding down Mellen Street into Deering Oaks swim through our mind, wintertime is what keeps so many of us excited for eight months a year.
- A new online program at SMCC puts you to the test
Yes, taking classes online is the wave of the future. And you've figured out that the house always wins: Tuition for those classes is vastly more profitable for universities than the traditional in-person, in-classroom instruction.
- Don't be an idiot
We're all idiots when we're 18. We're all idiots for the first half of our 20s, and longer, for some. By saying so, we're not trying to insult anyone.
- 50 shows to see before finals week
This is a message fromBostonFunShit, the Phoenix's authority on having a good time: Get out of your dorm. Here are 50 ways to have an unforgettable evening this semester.
- An (almost) A-to-Z guide to Boston
Welcome to Boston, college kids.
- Going green: Ghostbusters
My monthly rent payment includes heat and electricity, a luxury I'm still getting used to at the new apartment I moved into this summer.
- Mirage weather
Is it hot, or is it hot?!
- Providence Student Survival Guide: List of lists
It's back-to-campus time. You've got shopping lists, book lists, syllabi, class rosters, and Facebook. Who would possibly think you could handle more lists? We would, that's who.
- Review: The Town
There’s an episode in Chuck Hogan’s Prince of Thieves that I was sure Ben Affleck was going to include in his adaptation of the novel.
- Less
Topics:
Lifestyle Features
, HEAT, bedbugs, Apartment, More
, HEAT, bedbugs, Apartment, student11, landlords, Less
