What to do if my landlord is refusing to grant me a walk-through inspection upon the end of my lease?
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What to do if my landlord is refusing to grant me a walk-through inspection upon the end of my lease?
I rented a home on a 1 year lease and paid first/last and a non-refundable pet deposit of $200 upon moving in. My job transferred me about an hour away, so I asked to get out of the lease one month early. I then found the landlord a new tenant that she approved and the lease is signed. The LL agreed to let me out of my lease two weeks early as opposed to a month. The problem now is that I have requested many times to do a lease-end inspection walk-through and they are ignoring me. They did say at one point that they wouldn’t return the second half’s month of rent until after that inspection.
Asked on May 18, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Arizona
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Make the request again but in writing and send it certified mail return receipt requested. Indicate their refusal in the letter - tactfully. Then take photos and movies of every inch of the apartment and make sure that they are date stamped. Even bring with you a witness (which is albeit biased but good anyway). Once you leave then send your new address - again via certified mail - and wait. If the landlord does not comply with the deposit return laws in the state in which you were living you will need to go to small claims court to get it back. And I hope the leaving two weeks early was in writing. Good luck.
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