Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Illinois

What can I do if my former landlord is charging me a huge cleaning bill for an apartment that only needed general cleaning, plus a an mattress that they said was solid and cannot be cleaned. The mattress was thrown out and I bill foe a new mattress. I was not notified of the intend to thrown out. The deduction showed up on the final checklist of the of the security deposit.


Asked on 9/16/10, 10:16 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

You admit the place needed a general cleaning; did you try to take care of this yourself or just leave it to the landlord.....? If you did nothing and you have no exit "inspection" punch-list with your landlord, you have no evidence of condition. You need to look at your lease to see what it says. And State law applies. And if your landlord follows the lease and law and returns the deposit, or what's left of it, with proper paperwork in the proper amount of time, your only recourse may be to sue. If you did try cleaning and have receipts, that may help; if not you will have a very difficult time proving you left it in a condition that would entitle you to more back.

The response given is not intended to create, nor does it create an ongoing duty to respond to questions. The response does not form an attorney-client relationship, nor is it intended to be anything other than the educated opinion of the author. It should not be relied upon as legal advice. The response given is based upon the limited facts provided by the person asking the question. To the extent additional or different facts exist, the response might possibly change. Attorney is currently licensed to practice law only in the State of Illinois. Responses are based solely on Illinois law unless stated otherwise.

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Answered on 9/21/10, 10:48 am


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