Not knowing any better, I plunked down a deposit and first months rent on my first college apartment. I had no idea that I would never see that money again.
Now, this apartment was a HOLE. Old building, old walls, old everything. No a/c, central steam heat. Bugs everywhere. I should have known to look for these things, but being my first apartment, I didn't. I chose it on the fact that the outside of the building looked nice (it was one of those "quaint-old-house-turned-apartment" things) and that there were a bunch of girls living next door.
The year was pretty much uneventful, the apartment nasty but livable (except for a few days in the spring before the heat was turned off; it was well over 90 in my apartment). It wasn't until I moved out that I was able to realize the full extent of CPM's heinousness.
I got charged for "wear on wood floor." Come on. This house is NINETY years old, of course the floor is worn. "Dirt behind radiator." Dude, the radiator is BOLTED TO THE WALL. You can't move it to clean behind it, and the little holes in the (non-removable) grate are too little to stick a toothvrush through. Worst of all, though, I was charged for "tenant furniture removal." Wait, that furniture was THERE when I moved in, in fact I was told that the rent included the apartment furnishings. Apparently most of it was included, but there were a few items belonging to the PREVIOUS tenant that they thought I would enjoy using for a year, and then paying to have hauled off.
Of my $465 security deposit, only $30 was refunded. Crooks.
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