Tenant Toolkit: It’s Your Money!

Tenant Toolkit is a regular feature on our blog where we round up important resources that empower tenants to become knowledgeable about renters' issues and effectively assert their rights. 

Worried about getting all of your security deposit back? You’re not alone. Of all the problems that California’s 15 million renters deal with, security deposit theft is one of the most common. In fact,  unfair withholdings from security deposits happen so often that most tenants expect to never get it back. This has to change!

Do you know your rights? Here’s a roundup of some of the best resources to help you get every penny of your money back.

Security Deposit FAQ

You’ve got questions and we’ve got answers. Check out our handy guide to frequently asked questions about security deposits. You’ll learn the maximum amount of time landlords can take when returning your deposit, what steps you should follow when you move in (and move out) to proactively protect your money, and what to do when your security deposit is unfairly withheld.

Important Sample Letters

When you’re dealing with your landlord, it’s always best to have things in writing. A written letter can serve as an important record and also lets your landlord know that you take business transactions seriously. That’s why we’ve created some sample letters to help you deal with different security deposit issues.

• Still waiting on your security deposit? Demand your deposit back.
• If your landlord is unfairly withholding part of your security deposit, contest the deductions.
• Getting ready to move out? Make sure you send a letter to your landlord with an intent to vacate and a request for a pre-move-out inspection.

Join the Fight to Stop Deposit Theft!

Looking to join the fight to end deposit theft all across California? Find out what’s happening with the End Deposit Theft campaign by visiting YourDeposit.org and following @EndDepositTheft on Twitter. Use the hashtag #EndDepositTheft to keep the conversation going online, share resources with others and empower fellow renters.

Volunteer Spotlight: Sam Davidson

Since 2009, Tenants Together’s Tenant Rights Hotline has served nearly 8,000 tenants all across California. What started as a project to provide information and assistance for renters living in foreclosed homes has evolved into a resource for tenants dealing with a variety of issues, and that’s thanks to the efforts of our volunteer counselors.

Meet Sam Davidson, one of our volunteer counselors who hails from Maryland. Looking to leave the East Coast and explore the west, he decided to give California a shot in 2006. He’s been a hotline counselor for close to three years now, putting in long hours to become immersed in tenants issues and training new counselors so that our volunteer program can continue to grow.

As a student of sociology, Sam’s interests have always geared towards promoting progressive issues and helping others. Before he moved to San Francisco, he volunteered at a school in India and an orphanage in Nepal. He’s also worked with ACORN as a community organizer, dealing with public housing issues. When he’s not at Tenant’s Together, he does fundraising work for the California League of Conservation Voters.

While looking for a new job in San Francisco, Sam knew that he wanted to get involved in a cause by volunteering, but he wasn’t interested in run-of-the-mill busy work: “A lot of volunteer activity involves stuffing envelopes. That wasn’t the kind of work I wanted to be doing.”  That’s how he ended up responding to Tenants Together’s call for hotline volunteers.

Sam says the best part of being a hotline counselor is “Feeling like I make a difference in people’s lives. The people here are all really cool.” He also enjoys helping tenants realize that they’re not powerless when it comes to facing abusive landlords and unfair evictions.

What does it take to be a great hotline counselor? According to Sam, it’s important to be passionate and knowledgeable about the cause you’re championing, but most importantly, it’s essential to be sympathetic. For many tenants, Sam may be the first and only person that really listens and takes their problem seriously. “It’s nice to be the one who people turn to,” Sam adds.

There are lots of issues facing tenants in California, but Sam points out that one of the biggest problems is that landlords usually hold the upper hand when it comes knowledge about laws in California. They depend on tenants to stay in the dark about their own rights, or to be too scared to confront them even when they know they’ve got the law on their side. Sam says, “Landlords do this professionally whereas tenants don’t. There’s an imbalance built into the system.” Luckily, volunteers like Sam help to fill that knowledge gap every day and keep landlords accountable.

For anyone who’s looking to get involved with volunteering, Sam says it’s all about connecting with others. “Finding like minded people actually gives you the ability to do things,” he says,  “Find a way and do it. It doesn’t matter how you do it, but we all have the responsibility to make the world a better place.”

Merced Fight at Tioga Apartments continues

Members of Merced Tenants Together are continuing to organize against slum conditions at the historical Tioga Apartments in Merced. Following a visit by city code enforcement where no citations were issued, members have maintained a presence at the building to keep the pressure on to get conditions improved.

July Tenant News Roundup

News across California: 
California's Democratic Legislative Majority Betrays Tenants
Tenants Together Executive Director Dean Preston reports on the failure of Democrats in the State Legislature to support protection of tenants' security deposits.  

'Landlords From Hell' Accept Prison Terms for Terrorizing Tenants
Two San Francisco landlords have agreed to four-year prison terms for taking extreme measures to oust their tenants from their property. The landlords, for instance, tried to cut a hole through one tenant's floor and cut out the ceiling beams in another tenant's unit, attempting to destabilize the entire building.

Berkeley Housing Authority Cuts Vouchers Due to Sequester
Some tenants are losing their Section 8 housing vouchers, while applicants for the vouchers are being turned away, as a result of the sequester cuts in federal programs. The sequester is affecting many federal programs that provide services to low-income families and seniors. 

San Francisco Supervisors Approve Condo Legislation with Veto-Proof Majority  
Eight members of the Board of Supervisors voted to allows some TIC owners to convert their units to condominiums, but will shut down the conversion lottery until 2024.

Notable Tenant News Nationwide:
Massachusetts: Meet the Nation's Toughest New Foreclosure Protection Law
Lynn MA has enacted legislation that requires banks to maintain foreclosed properties, and allows both former homeowners and former tenants to remain in the property after the foreclosure sale.

Parties Foreclosing on Chicago Rentals Face New Obligations
Foreclosing lenders in Chicago must either continue to rent to sitting tenants or pay them relocation fees of $10,600.

Wells Fargo Settles Fair Housing Complaint on Foreclosed Homes
Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $42 million to settle claims that the bank failed to maintain their foreclosed properties in minority communities, while taking better care of foreclosed properties in majority white communities.