If a house rents for 1300 and it says $1000 deposit, what does the deposit go to exactly?

The money is a deposit if you skip out without paying rent and/or damage the place. Some landlords find a way to keep all or part of the money regardless with lame excuses like, "We have to clean the carpet..." which is something they would have to do anyway. As for references from people who have lived there and moved out. If you don't want to ask the landlord for this, then ask people who are living there now if they could put you in touch with people who have lived there. Then you could ask them if the landlord has been fair and other questions like if there were problems with getting things repaired. Repair is a good question to ask current renters too.  more

Usually the deopisit is for damage. If you damage somthing (that is not normal wear and tear eg. broken deishwasher) it will be taken out of your deposit. this deposit is given back to you at teh end of your lease, either by deducting it from your rent, or giving you a cheque on your leaving date - when the house has been inspected! It can also be a security deposit in case you don't continue the full lentgh of the contract - in this case you loose it.  more

Typically it is returned after you leave and they check the place for damages. In many states they have to return it within 30 days of your moving out or give you a letter stating why they did not return it. If they don't you can sue them for double the amount. It is usually the case that the security deposit is put in a bank account until you leave...in some cases they will give you bank interest on the money when you leave.  more

It depends. Sometimes you get it back when you leave, or it its a downpayment. To have a deposit lower than 1 months rent is rare. If the landlord sees the deposit as a downpayment to pay for rent than it will be used as a downpayment. If the landlord sees the deposit to pay for damage that you might cause to the property then you will definitely get it back when you leave.  more

For our apartment our deposit is a "safety payment" for the landlord. If we move out and leave the place a mess or if we get kick out he uses that deposit for fixing up the place or using it towards the rent we didn't pay. But if were good tenants then we get the deposit back when we leave. I'm a good tenant.  more

It's a security deposit. It's not meant to pay the first or last months rent...it's meant to give the landlord some insurance in case when you leave, the place is trashed and he/she has to repair it. If you leave the place in good condition when you leave, the entire amount should be returned to you at the end of your lease. In a typical situation, anyway.  more

the deposit is a security deposit. you give them that to hold onto until your done renting the house if you dont break anything in the house i.e. put a hole in the wall or w.e., you get the 1,000 back. its like when you buy a keg, if you bring it back in good condition you get your deposit back.  more

It's a security deposit and you get it back when you move out, granted there are no damages to the apartment.  more

It might go to security deposit. You should ask though to make sure. they cannot use a security deposit as last month's rent unless they give you a 30 day notice in most cases anyway. So it does make a difference. You can't switch last month's with security deposit so the same goes for them not being able to use a last month's for damages.  more

Sounds like a security deposit. You will get it back after you have moved out, if the house is not damaged.  more