After Moving To Texas From River North High-Rise, Former Chicagoan Didn't Get His Security Deposit Back For Months Despite Being Told It Was Coming
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One of the few bright spots in the moving experience for renters is getting that security deposit check back in their accounts.
But one man said his move from a River North complex turned rocky, as his wait for that check became longer and longer. So he called us for help.
CBS 2's Marie Saavedra looked into the problem.
Former Chicagoan Percy Herold was not dressed for a Chicago winter when we talked with him – because he has moved from Chicago to Houston. He says he is missing Chicago.
"I'm missing my friends and family - and the pizza!" Herold said.
Before heading south, Herold happily called River North home – specifically the Marlowe at 169 W. Huron St.
"I was living at The Marlowe for three years," he said.
He loved it, but he needed to relocate for family - so he packed up in November. Moving is always expensive, so he looked forward to getting his security deposit back.
"She sent the statement with a balance that's going to be like a little over $2,000," Herold said. "So I was like: 'OK, that'd be great, I'm fine with that.'"
After a few weeks with no sign of the check, Herold emailed the front office to confirm if his deposit had been mailed.
"She said, 'If you don't receive the check by December 20th, you know, call us back,'" Herold said.
The check hadn't shown up by Dec. 21, so he emailed again. Staff at The Marlowe, which is run by property company LMC, said they would follow up with the accounting team. At $2,098 dollars, this wasn't chump change.
"It kind of has put me in a little bit of a financial bind here," Herold said.
So when another month passed, he wrote a demand letter, sent at the end of January – and citing a city ordinance.
"I looked up the statute for how long it's supposed to take to get your security deposit back, and in Chicago, it's supposed to be 45 calendar days," Herold said.
And much more time than that has now passed.
The statute Herold mentioned is there in the city's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance Summary.
"As much as you can ever say this is an open-and-shut case, you can say it here," said Philip DeVon of the Metropolitan Tenants Organization.
DeVon said Herold has done the right thing by documenting everything.
"That's exactly what I would have suggested he do," DeVon said. "He sent a very clear, concise letter that cites the law and what he's entitled to."
DeVon recommend hiring a lawyer as a next step to get that money back, but Herold doesn't want to lose any more cash in this situation.
"It shouldn't have really taken more than two weeks, tops," Herold said. "I just don't know why it's taking 90-plus days."
Fortunately, Herold won't have to do that. Fortunately, We contacted the parent company, and a day later the company reached out to Herold - promising to return his deposit, along with an extra $1,000 for his trouble.
We asked what the holdup was, and a company spokesperson said Friday night that there was an issue with Herold's forwarding address. They insist a check was cut immediately. But whatever the case, "immediately" turned into four months - until we called, and now it's on it's way,
UPDATE: Herold finally received his security deposit from The Marlowe on Feb. 21
"I just wanted to thank everyone at CBS 2 Chicago for all your help. I really appreciate it," he wrote.
