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If you’re and you wonder why the charges a high security deposit, it could be because they’ve been burned by inconsiderate tenants who trashed rental units, moved out in the middle of the night or perhaps left an awful mess in what is considered an important investment by the owner. Landlords don’t take too kindly to that, and often charge higher security deposits to cover the possibility of it happening again. However, this is not the only reason landlords charge higher security deposits.
The main reason a landlord may charge more is if a tenant throws up red flags to the landlord or company during the application process. These red flags may or may not be intentional, but can include:
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.
- Not properly filling out or completing all of the application fields. Incomplete information on an application can come across to the landlord as the tenant might be hiding or avoiding something.
- Details are sketchy. If you’re not exactly sure of dates or how long you lived in your last rental property, don’t guess at it; be sure and accurate.
- The previous landlord references won’t divulge any information good or bad.
- The tenant has already started off requesting renovations to the property or making demands for lower rents if they do the renovation work, when they haven’t even turned in their application yet. This is a sign that the tenant may not be able to afford the place.
- The landlord just remodeled the rental unit and they’d like to protect their investment.
- The tenant might have pets.
- Possibly the tenant hasn’t been on their job a long time, or they may be in a temporary status that is not secure employment.
- The landlord may have been burned by the previous tenant. This is a tough situation for the current/new tenant moving into the unit. It may not seem “fair” but the landlord has a right to do so.



