Landlord withholds tenant's entire $1,850 security deposit over a worn carpet, then sends an invoice from a repair company he secretly owns: ‘I’m preparing a demand letter’

Cata Holmes • Writer

Jun 27, 2026 1:00 PM EDT

Can a landlord really charge you with an invoice from a company they own?

Honestly, this story looks like taken from the TV. We all know that having a good relationship with your landlord doesn't always seem to be that easy. It depends on many factors, but the main one is respect. Since there's a lot of money involved in that relationship is fundamental to be trustworthy and transparent. And all of that has to apply even if the contract had ended.

In this story, the thing that struck me was the amount of money he said he invested in fixing that carpet. A carpet that had been used for multiple years. How can someone pretend that those stains are new and not 100 years old? And the worst part: the address of the cleaning company, which matched his address perfectly. The landlord wants to steal money, if you ask me. I totally agree with the way that the OP is handling the situation. This sounds like a scam, and I'd certainly go with a legal response as well. I'd gather all the evidence that supported my stance and send him a demand letter.

But, besides the legal fight that is starting to form, I think this could have been avoided if the end goal had been to have a clean carpet. I'm not sure about the landlord's intentions behind his act (trying to see him not only as the bad guy), but if he wanted to have that cleaned up, he could have certainly talked to her and found an arrangement that could have benefited both of them.

Renting a property comes with all types of problems and unexpected situations. The only advice that I have for you is to try to be respectful and to take care of the place you're renting. Because, in the end, the homeowner is the landlord, but it's the tenant's home.

via Unsplash+ (via Karolina Grabowska)

A vacuum cleaner removes dust from a light-colored carpet in a clean living room.
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via Unsplash+ (via Cphotos)

A vacuum cleaner removes dirt from a worn carpet with visible signs of everyday use.
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As soon as the OP posted the story, an army of Redditors appear to back her up and to insist she should continue with this matter in the legal field. Here are some of them.
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via Unsplash+ (via Devin Nelson)

Woman relaxing on a white couch in a sunlit apartment overlooking the city.
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