Get Your Security Deposit Back

Worried your landlord won't return your security deposit? Download this eGuide and get the facts on your rights. This helpful eGuide provides information on:

  • how to avoid fights over deposits
  • reasonable deductions
  • suing your landlord if all else fails

See below for a full product description.

  • Product Details
  • Who pays for that stain on the rug? What about the damage your dog may -- or may not -- have done to the yard?

    Chances are, your landlord will blame you for any damage she finds when you move out. So it's up to you to defend your rights. This helpful eGuide provides information on:

    • how to avoid fights over deposits
    • reasonable deductions
    • the need for itemized statements
    • handling security deposits from other tenants
    • suing your landlord if all else fails

    Filled with sample letters, Get Your Security Deposit Back is available immediately. Download it now!

    They're downloadable and fully searchable -- check out Nolo's complete list of eGuides.

  • About the Author
    • Janet Portman, Attorney · Santa Clara University School of Law

      Janet Portman joined Nolo in 1994 and is the Executive Editor. She has a Bachelor’s degree (Honors Humanities, Phi Beta Kappa) and Master’s degree (Religious Studies) from Stanford University, and a law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law. Her first job was with the California State Public Defender, where she handled criminal appeals for indigent clients and spent six months trying cases for the Alameda County Public Defender. She successfully argued a case before the California Supreme Court. (People v. Woodard, 23 Cal.3d 329 (1979).) Janet is an active member of the California State Bar.

      Work at Nolo. After taking some time away from the law to raise her family, Janet joined Nolo as part of the team writing the company’s first national landlord-tenant book, Every Landlord’s Legal Guide. She has authored or coauthored many books since then: Every Landlord's Guide to Finding Great Tenants, Every Tenant's Legal Guide, Renters' Rights, Negotiate the Best Lease for Your Business, Leases & Rental Agreements, The California Landlord's Law Book: Rights and Responsibilities, and California Tenants' Rights.  Drawing on her days as a “PD,” Janet also contributes to the criminal law sections of Nolo’s websites.

      Media. Janet has contributed commentary to major media outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, Kiplinger’s, and The New York Times. For many years she was a nationally-syndicated columnist, writing “Rent It Right” every week.

      Why Nolo? Joining Nolo was a natural next step after the public defender’s office. Janet went from helping indigent criminal defendants to educating people about everyday civil law—how to understand it, apply it, and stay away from entanglements in the court system. She takes pride in writing books for both landlords and tenants, without bias. The best compliment she ever received came from a landlord who, having read Every Tenant's Legal Guide, said, “I wish all my tenants would read this—I’d have way fewer problems!”

    • Marcia Stewart, Legal Editor

      Marcia Stewart wrote and edited Nolo books on landlord-tenant law, real estate, and other consumer issues. She co-authored the first and several subsequent editions of Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First HomeEvery Landlord's Legal GuideFirst-Time LandlordEvery Tenant's Legal GuideLeases and Rental Agreementsand Renters' Rights. She edited dozens of Nolo books, including The Women's Small Business Start-Up Kit.