Hi y'all, I moved out of my apt at the end of my lease on June 30. When my previous landlord sent me a check to return my security deposit, he has deducted a little over $800. I emailed him asking why. He texted me back saying it was to replace some broken blinds, remove and fix nail holes in the wall (there were hardly any from I remember), to patch two wider shallow holes I left in the wall (which I proactively told him about), and to repaint the bedrooms (that was definitely not necessary).

So I sent him a security deposit demand letter saying he has not followed MA law (true) in providing proof of receipts or anything towards his security deposit deduction. And that he has also not provided any proof that he had kept my money in a bank account (also true). And that I wanted to settle this matter out of court.

So he filled out this "security deposit calculation" form and had a real estate agent send me this bullshit. Still zero proof of any of these charges. And he's claiming that $745 was to repair the nail holes left behind and two 3" wide and 1" shallow holes I left in my room. AND he's trying to claim painting costs as well, which I believe he cannot use my deposit for by law, as it's considered normal wear and tear to touch up paint.

I have no photos of the place when I left it, but I felt it was left in very good condition. I've never had a landlord deduct from my security deposit before.

How much leg do I have to stand on in going forward with using him to get my money back? Is the fact that he never provided receipts, or any of the other documentation as required by MA law (obv I did my research), enough for me to win the case and be compensated?