RenterTexas · California · New York · Ohio · Arizona · Georgia · Florida · Nationwide Updated August 2026
The law
has teeth.
Learn to bite back.
Deposits, evictions, repairs, lease breaks and junk fees — explained one state at a time, with the section number attached so you can check us against the statute itself.
- 7states
- TX, CA, NY, OH, AZ, GA, FL — plus nationwide federal rules
- 43
- statute-cited guides, 2,500+ words each
- 14days
- shortest deposit deadline we track (N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108)
Every citation on this site links to an official source — check us:
The Guides
One dispute, one page, every step sourced.
Can a Landlord Break Your Lease in California? Just Cause Rules
After 12 months your landlord needs a listed reason. The four no-fault grounds, the one month's relocation payment, and the defect that voids the notice.
Read the playbook → IIRent Escrow: How to Pay Rent to the Court Until Repairs Are Made
Escrow is not withholding. The three systems states actually use, the notice that starts it, and the mistake that puts you in arrears instead.
Read the playbook → IIIWhat Happens If a Landlord Doesn't Return Your Security Deposit
The deadline is 30 days in some states, 21 in California, 14 in New York. What the penalty is in each, and the two conditions that quietly void your claim.
Read the playbook → IVCan My Landlord Enter Without Notice? The Rules by State
Most states require 24 hours' notice — Arizona wants two days, and Texas and Georgia require none at all. What the law says, and what to do about repeat entry.
Read the playbook → VMold in Your Apartment: Your Rights and Who to Report It To
There is no legal mold limit in the US — and the health department usually can't help. The reporting path that works, and what each agency can do.
Read the playbook → VIArizona Security Deposit Law: 14 Business Days, Not 14 Days
A.R.S. § 33-1321 gives your landlord 14 days excluding weekends and holidays — and the clock only starts when you demand it. Plus the 2× penalty.
Read the playbook → VIIDispossessory Warrant in Atlanta? What Happens Next
Georgia's eviction process explained — the 3-business-day notice, your 7 days to answer, paying rent into the court registry, and the 7-day writ window.
Read the playbook → VIIICalifornia Civil Code § 1950.5: The Full Security Deposit Law
Every subdivision of Civ. Code § 1950.5 in plain English — the one-month cap, the 21-day deadline, the $125 receipt rule, and the 2× bad-faith penalty.
Read the playbook → IXHow Much Can a Landlord Raise Rent? Limits, Notice and Timing
Most US states set no ceiling on rent increases — the real limits are your lease term, notice rules, rent-cap states, and retaliation and discrimination law.
Read the playbook → XGeorgia Security Deposit Law: 30 Days and Treble Damages
O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34 gives your landlord 30 days. Bad faith can cost them triple plus fees — unless they qualify for Georgia's small-landlord exemption.
Read the playbook → XIOhio Security Deposit Law: 30 Days, 5% Interest, One Trap
Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 gives 30 days and pays 5% interest on larger deposits — but skip the written forwarding address and you lose damages and fees.
Read the playbook → XIIHow to Legally Withhold Rent in Ohio: The Rent Escrow Process
Ohio lets you pay rent to the court instead of your landlord until repairs are made — § 5321.07. The notice, the 30 days, and the mistake that ends it.
Read the playbook → XIII5-Day Notice to Pay in Phoenix: What to Do Before Day Six
Arizona's 5-day notice explained — the reinstatement right before filing, what a special detainer is, and why paying with a late fee can end it entirely.
Read the playbook → XIVDenied by SafeRent? Your FCRA Rights and How to Dispute It
What a SafeRent denial means, the adverse action notice your landlord owes you, how to get the report free within 60 days, and how to dispute what's wrong.
Read the playbook → XVCan I Sue My Roommate for Not Paying Rent? How to Actually Do It
Why the landlord can charge you your roommate's share, how a contribution claim works, what to file in small claims, and what you need to prove to win.
Read the playbook → XVITexas Mold Landlord Laws: What the Property Code Actually Says
Texas has no mold statute — so mold claims run through Property Code § 92.052. The notice rules, the 7-day presumption, repair-and-deduct limits, and remedies.
Read the playbook → XVIITexas Rent Increase Laws: No Cap, But Four Real Limits
Texas has no rent control and preempts cities from creating it. What actually limits an increase: your lease term, notice, the six-month retaliation window.
Read the playbook → XVIIITexas Property Code § 92.052 & § 92.056: Landlord Repair Duty
What §§ 92.052, 92.056, 92.0561 and 92.0563 actually say: the repair duty, the 7-day presumption, and a deduct cap of one month's rent or $500.
Read the playbook → XIXBreaking a Lease on PCS Orders: Your SCRA Rights
Federal law lets servicemembers end a lease early with no penalty on PCS or 90-day deployment orders. The exact notice, timing, and deposit rules.
Read the playbook → XXTenant, Guest, or Squatter? Why Your Legal Status Decides Everything
Staying without a lease doesn't make you a squatter — but it might. How the law classifies you, and why it decides whether police or a judge can remove you.
Read the playbook → XXIFlorida Eviction: The 3-Day Notice and How to Fight It
Florida's 3-day notice excludes weekends and holidays, and must match the statute word for word. The timeline, the registry-deposit trap, and real defenses.
Read the playbook → XXIIIs My NYC Apartment Rent-Stabilized? How to Find Out
Roughly a million NYC apartments are rent-stabilized — and many tenants don't know. How to check your status free, and what it's worth if you are.
Read the playbook → XXIIIFlorida Security Deposit Law: The 15/30/15 Day Rules
Florida gives landlords 15 days to refund or 30 days to claim — and missing the 30-day notice forfeits the right to keep any of your deposit.
Read the playbook → XXIVJunk Fees in Rent: Which Charges You Can Actually Fight
Admin fees, mandatory 'amenity' packages, pest control charges, and inflated late fees — how to tell which rental fees are enforceable and which aren't.
Read the playbook → XXVNew York Eviction Process: The 14-Day Demand and What Follows
NY requires a 14-day written rent demand before any nonpayment case. The housing court timeline, Good Cause protections, and defenses that actually work.
Read the playbook → XXVIBreaking a Lease in California: What You Actually Owe
California landlords must mitigate damages under Civil Code § 1951.2. What early termination really costs and how to dispute inflated charges.
Read the playbook → XXVIICalifornia Repair Rights: Repair and Deduct Under § 1942
When a California landlord won't fix your unit — § 1941.1 habitability standards, the repair-and-deduct remedy, and retaliation limits.
Read the playbook → XXVIIICan't Pay Rent This Month? The First 72 Hours Matter Most
What to do before rent is late — emergency assistance, payment agreements that actually protect you, and the mistakes that lead to eviction.
Read the playbook → XXIXExamples of Landlord Harassment: What Counts, What Doesn't
Twelve concrete examples courts and agencies treat as harassment, the behaviour that does not qualify, and how to document it and report it free.
Read the playbook → XXXNew York Security Deposit Law: The 14-Day Rule Explained
NY caps deposits at one month and gives landlords 14 days to return yours — miss it and they forfeit the right to keep any of it.
Read the playbook → XXXICan a Landlord Deny an Emotional Support Animal? When They Can
The four narrow grounds a landlord can actually refuse on, why pet fees and deposits are banned, and what documentation HUD does and does not require.
Read the playbook → XXXIIRental Application Denied? Your Federal Screening Rights
What to do when a tenant screening report costs you an apartment — FCRA adverse action notices, your free report, disputes, and fixing errors that follow you.
Read the playbook → XXXIIIRental Scams: How to Spot a Fake Listing Before You Pay
Fake rental listings cost renters thousands. The FTC's red flags, how to verify a landlord actually owns the property, and what to do if you already paid.
Read the playbook → XXXIVRoommate Won't Pay Rent? What You're Legally On the Hook For
Joint and several liability explained — why your landlord can charge you your roommate's share, how to protect yourself, and how to recover the money.
Read the playbook → XXXVHow Much Can a Landlord Raise Rent in California? AB 1482 Math
California's statewide rent cap — the 5% + CPI formula, the 10% ceiling, who's exempt, § 827 notice rules, and how to fight an illegal increase.
Read the playbook → XXXVICalifornia Security Deposit Law: The 21-Day Return Rule
How to get your deposit back in California — Civil Code § 1950.5, the 21-day deadline, receipt rules, the 2× bad-faith penalty, and small claims.
Read the playbook → XXXVIIMold in Your Austin Apartment: What Texas Law Actually Requires
Texas has no 'mold law' for rentals — but the repair statutes still force action. Documentation, the two-notice process, remediation rules, and lease exits.
Read the playbook → XXXVIIIHow Much Can a Landlord Raise Rent in Austin? Texas Rules
Texas has no rent control — but rent increases still have rules. When a raise is legal, when it's retaliation, and how Austin renters negotiate renewals.
Read the playbook → XXXIXCan My Landlord Enter Without Notice in Texas? Austin Rules
What Texas law actually says about landlord entry, why your lease controls, and what to do about surprise visits, lockouts, and smart-lock abuse in Austin.
Read the playbook → XLBreaking an Austin Lease Without Losing Thousands: A DIY Playbook
How to break an Austin apartment lease for less than the buyout — Texas duty-to-mitigate law, reletting fees, and the statutory exit rights.
Read the playbook → XLIHow to Force Repairs on Your Austin Rental (Texas § 92.052)
The written-notice process that makes an Austin landlord repair a health-and-safety condition — Texas statutes, the 7-day rule, and repair-and-deduct.
Read the playbook → XLIIHow to Recover a Security Deposit in Austin Without a Lawyer
The exact DIY process for recovering a wrongfully withheld security deposit in Austin, TX — demand letter, Texas Property Code § 92.109, and JP court.
Read the playbook → XLIIIEviction Notice in Austin? What to Do in the First 72 Hours
What a Texas notice to vacate actually means, the real eviction timeline in Travis County, and the steps that protect your record — before you self-evict.
Read the playbook →Run Your Numbers
Three calculators built on the statutes. Estimates for orientation — not legal advice.
Deposit Damages
§ 92.109 bad-faith formula
Lease Break: Buyout vs. Mitigate
§ 91.006 duty to mitigate
Refund Deadline
§ 92.103 30-day clock
The Method
Why these guides hold up.
- Primary sources only. Every legal claim links to the Texas Property Code, Austin City Code, or Travis County court page.
- Worked examples, labeled. Scenario math uses real statutory formulas and current local fees — and says so.
- Escalation path included. When a dispute outgrows DIY, each guide points to vetted Austin tenant attorneys and free legal aid.
