LPT: if your apartment complex tries to keep your security deposit for "cleaning" or "paint", ask for the vendor invoice.

i've lived in 4 different corporate-owned apartments in the last few years and they always try to hold back like 300 bucks for "heavy cleaning" or "paint touch ups" when you move out.

they bank on you just accepting it cause you're too tired from moving to fight it.

literally all you have to do is reply to their email and say "please provide the itemized vendor invoice for the cleaning service and the depreciation schedule for the paint."

9 times out of 10, the complex didn't actually hire a cleaning crew. their internal maintenance guy just quickly painted over the scuffs, and management is just pocketing your cash as pure profit.

if they can't produce an actual tax receipt from a third-party cleaning company, they usually just reverse the charge immediately cause they know they'll lose in small claims court.

i got my full deposit back twice in a row just by sending that one sentence and then refusing to elaborate.