Invalid lease, contradicts contract?

You are correct. He can only keep your deposit to pay for repair of REAL DAMAGE to the apartment that was caused by you, such as if you burned a hole in the carpet or knocked a hole in the wall while moving your furniture. He cannot charge you for normal wear and tear, and he CANNOT charge you $2500 for smoke damage when there was never even anyone smoking in your apartment!

If it went before a judge, the judge would ask the landlord 'What damages do you believe were caused by the tenants that you had to repair?' and the judge would then say, 'Please show me the receipts for these repairs.' Again, as I said when I answered your other question, send the landlord an EMAIL clearly stating to him that his email to you was incorrect--that you did NOT "admit" that people were smoking in your apartment--that you told your landlord that your guest went out to his car to smoke. DOCUMENTATION is important for court, and emails make good documentation. So do text messages.

Start watching Judge Judy or other court shows and see for yourself if you don't take me seriously. The Thing is that if this landlord tells the judge that you non-smokers caused $2500 worth of damage to your apartment (what, is he going to replace all the carpets because of 'smoke?' Nice upgrade for him at your expense!) then the judge is going to smell a rat. Tell the landlord that if he is going to impose all these fines and falsely claim that there was cigarette smoke damage to your apartment, then you will take him to court.

And mean it. The landlord is a sleaze, a con artist. He is trying to take advantage of your innocence about these matters.

As worried as you are, call your county's Lawyer Referral Service, where you can get 1/2 hour's worth of legal advice for a small cost. It will be worth it for your peace of mind. Good luck!

A email is not a legally acceptable notice. According to (7) (a) he can only claim what is reasonable. The landlord has an obligation to give you a detailed list of his expenses.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.