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Landlords often like to try to keep security deposits when tenants move out. In this story, another landlord tries to do that exact thing, but this time, the tenant is a law student who knows exactly what to say and do to get the landlord to give him back every penny of the security deposit.

You see, threatening the average person with court or a lawsuit may work, but not a law student!

Keep reading for the whole story.

Sue me.

I’m a lawyer. But I haven’t always been a lawyer, I was a law student once. And law students have all the arrogance of a lawyer, 1% of the knowledge, but 10x the reckless abandon. Here’s how all that came together:

I moved to DC to do the last semester of my law schooling at Georgetown. I jumped in an apartment with 2 other people, but never met the landlord.

The people liked me, and said I could move in, but they said the landlord had a review process that could take a few weeks (because he’s lazy and/or slow). They also mentioned he was a huge jerk, never fixed anything, hadn’t so much as mowed the grass in years, and hadn’t paid the light bill in the lobby for months so we had no porch lights.

Whatever, I thought, I needed a place. I asked them if they cared if I moved in that day, though, and they were fine with it.

OP knew something important about tenant law.

I knew enough landlord tenant law in DC to know that the tenant basically always wins, so long as they are paying and not destroying the property.

So I moved in and just skipped the interview.

I sent my first check to the landlord right away (a deposit) followed immediately by a month’s rent.

He deposited them as soon as he got them.

He knew what to say to the landlord.

A week later or so he raises hell about me moving in without an interview, and threatens to kick me out.

I kindly pointed out that he had accepted my deposit and rent payment, and therefore I was officially a tenant. If he wanted to kick me out, he would have to start the process in court (which is expensive and takes forever).

He huffed and left me alone.

I quietly paid my rent for months and months.

Eventually, he was ready to move out.

But, alas, all good things come to an end, and I had to move out eventually.

I emailed the landlord 2 months, then 1 month in advance of leaving. I let him know that he should come inspect the property to make sure I had not caused any damage that would require my deposit, and that if not, I would like it back.

I never heard from him.

The time eventually came that I was done living there, and moving out. I had everything packed and was ready to leave, then notified the landlord that I would like my deposit back.

The landlord thought he had won, but again, OP knew what to say.

He said if I wanted it back, I could “start the process in court.”

I smiled. I already knew that was coming.

Turns out, Mr. Landlord, those emails I sent you happen to correspond with the exact days and timing that I am required to give you in order to get my security deposit back. Oh, by the way, that request to come inspect the premises that you never replied to was also part of the process, and by not coming you have officially waived your inspection as of today (45 days later or something). Also, I happen to have already filled out the small claim for return of a security deposit. Here’s your copy. I’m electronically filing this with the court today.

Good luck!

About 10 days later I got a check in the mail.

Never mess with a law student!

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

This person was in a similar situation.

Another person loved this story.

One person thinks the email may not have worked.

I kind of feel the same way!

I remember a college professor in an english literature class once telling me that literature students make the best lawyers. Maybe I missed my calling and should’ve gone to law school. Not really. I don’t see myself as a lawyer, but it would be nice to know the law well enough that you can shut down annoying landlords like in this story!

Never threaten to take a law student to court!