When you sign a rental contract, you agree to live by the rules that the landlord has laid down for those who are in the home or the apartment. You may agree to have no pets, for instance, or to pay for the damages if a window is broken. All contracts are different, but they all lay down the basic groundwork for the rules that are being established by the landlord. He or she will tell you, through the contract, what you need to do and what types of things you are not allowed to do while you are living there. One big part of any rental contract is that the landlord will specify what types of things have to be paid for with your security deposit. This money is collected when you first move in so that you do not damage the home and then move out without fixing it. The landlord can keep as much of this money as he or she deems necessary when you leave. An inspection will have to be done to see what kind of damage the home has sustained while you were living there. The landlord can then take your money and use it to pay for the repairs. One way that many landlords try to rip off their clients is by charging them for things that do not actually need to be fixed. For instance, they may deduct one hundred dollars to repaint the baseboards because there are some scratches on them. However, they know that they do not need to do the work to rent the place out again, so they will just pocket the money. It is also illegal to take money for repairs that are deemed to be normal wear and tear, as no one can be expected to live in a home for months on end with impacting it in some way. If you feel that your landlord has attempted to rip you off and you want to take him to court to get your security deposit back, you just need to file a case with the local court. The landlord must then be informed with a letter telling him of the lawsuit. If the landlord does not do anything and hopes that you will drop the case, he or she actually will owe you twice as much money when the ruling comes down.