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Los Angeles landlord deposit dispute 2026
take pics of the scuffs with a timestamp & check ur move-in inspection sheet, that's ur evidence. ngl the valley landlords fold fast once they see u actually documented stuff
Move-in sheet is the whole ballgame, yeah.
Landlords still owe you photos of the damage even if the move-in sheet is clean, that part trips people up.
LADBS inspection records help too, pull the permit history.
zimas records too, free to pull online
Also worth checking whether the landlord actually did a walkthrough with you before you handed back keys, since skipping that weakens their deductions under Civil Code 1950.
Small claims is the move, cap is $12,500 and no lawyer needed. First send a written demand citing Civil Code 1950.5, they owe you the itemized deduction within 21 days or they forfeit the right to keep any of it.
Good call, just make sure you send it to the address on the lease and keep a copy, certified mail is best.
The 21 day clock only starts once you give a forwarding address in writing, so include that in the demand letter or they'll claim they couldn't reach you.
Do LA museum gift shops take foreign cards in 2026?
Carry a twenty for the coat check and tip jar, since those stay cash-only and nobody's going to break a card for you.
Agreed on the cash, though the tip jars are mostly for the cafe staff and the coat check runs three dollars a coat, so a ten covers both.
Five bucks for the locker key deposit too.
Twenty is more than you need, since coat check runs three bucks and the tip jar takes singles.
Good call, though the coat check actually takes tap now, so keep the bills for the tip jar and the parking garage on Grand that's still cash only.
Skip the bills entirely if you're only doing the cafe, since the tip line on the receipt takes your card fine. Where cash actually matters is the little coat check kiosk by the east entrance, which is a separate operator and runs card-only, no cash at all.
Contactless is basically universal at this point, so your UK debit card taps fine at the Modern Arts shop and cafe. The one thing that trips up visitors is the card terminal asking "credit or debit" and sometimes wanting a ZIP code for certain kiosks, though counter staff usually bypass it. For a longer stay I'd skip the US account and just eat the small foreign transaction fees, opening a US bank needs proof of address and a SSN or ITIN which is a hassle for a short stint.
The tap thing holds, but the cafe's self-order kiosks on level two are the ones that choke on foreign cards, so just order at the counter instead.
yeah those kiosks also want a zip code so even some us cards get stuck, counter's the move