Roommate and Security Deposits

[dustbuck]

My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: Georgia

Here is my situation. I lived in an apartment with two other roommates. One of said roommates decided to move out at the end of the lease. She moved out in one day without cleaning up anything except moving her things out. She left her room smelling like dog (she had a small dog) and urine. There were also stains on her floor. When the other roommate and I moved our things out we cleaned the apartment thoroughly, including her room so that we would get some money back. 2 months later, she wants her portion of the security deposit. Just to give some facts, she paid her portion of the security deposit directly to me. I was the only one on the lease. Do I owe her anything? Had we not cleaned, I highly doubt we would have gotten anything back, at minimum significantly less. Thank you

[LawResearcherMissy]

Do I owe her anything?

Yes. You owe her the portion of the security deposit that belongs to her. If you do not pay her what she is owed, she can take you to small claims court, and it is highly likely that she will prevail.

[dustbuck]

So I owe her money even though she paid her portion directly to me and she was never on our lease? From what I've gathered over the past few days you are incorrect. But maybe i'm missing something.

[Mr. Knowitall]

What makes you imagine that you have a legal right to keep her money? Have you been "gathering" information from the village idiot?

[LawResearcherMissy]

From what I've gathered over the past few days you are incorrect.

Really? My information comes from O.C.G.A. §44-7-30. Where is yours from?

Please do consult local counsel, since you're not hearing what you want to hear, and pay someone to give you the answer I did.