[Tenant, US IA] Should I sue my landlord?

Tenant

Short story: My security deposit was taken and the statement was actually double the deposit, after I left the unit in the following condition: https://imgur.com/a/bUTR2EV — based on your experiences does the condition justify the full deposit taken?

Long story: Most charges were for scuff paints in the carpeted room— although the contract states that tear and wear is expecte— and then labor which a lot of it was probably for that. They replaced a whole door, although all doors were fully functional and had no damage not even wear and tear at all, so that’s more of an upgrade rather than a necessary fix!

They charged for a cleaning fee and a holdover fee that was a quarter of the monthly rent? You can see the cleanliness of the unit and nobody was there after the move-out date.

I emailed to dispute the charges, the only response was “please provide any photos of pre-existing damage” dismissing that I’m disputing the validity of these charges in detail, I told them to keep their investigation based on their own inspection records and my photos will be provided in court if needed— no response for around a month now.

I’m thinking that they don’t take tenants seriously since all are college kids who wouldn’t take it to court, however I’m actually thinking of taking it to court since they’ve shown enough to prove bad faith— disregarding my actual argument, charging for cleaning, normal wear and replacing a fully functional door— which might get me up to double the amount.

Posted Oct 10, 2025, 7:15 PM UTC

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