Just another quick update:

As per an email I just received, they will not have anything "final" for me for 40-60 days.

They state that they're doing it "by the book" since a "preliminary" statement and partial refund were (supposedly) sent out on the 13th.

They claim I am misinterpreting the law.

From a pamphlet on Landlord/Tenant Law printed by the Washington State Office of Attorney General:

"After a tenant moves out, a landlord has 14 days in which to either return deposits, or give the tenant a written statement of why all or part of the money is being kept. It is advisable for the tenant to leave a forwarding address with the landlord when moving out.

"Under the law, the rental unit must be returned to the same condition as when the tenant moved in, except for normal wear and tear. Deposits cannot be used to cover normal "wear and tear"; or damage that existed when the tenant moved in. (Under the law, a damage checklist should have been filled out when the tenant moved in. for complete information, see page 5.)

"The landlord is in compliance with the law if the required payment, statement, or both are deposited in the U.S mail with first class postage paid within 14 days. If the tenant takes the landlord to court, and it is ruled that the landlord intentionally did not give the statement or return the money, the court can award the tenant up to twice the amount of the deposit."

A quick blurb from page 5:

"-A checklist or statement describing the condition of the rental unit must be filled out. Landlord and tenant must sign it, and the tenant must be given a signed copy."

Under no circumstance can the landlord withhold a dime from the deposit for carpet cleaning.

40-60 days is a steaming pile. They may be hoping that after 60 days, you will be settled in your new place, and forget to follow up on their screw-up.

Your inbox is still full. Call me if you have a minute please. 206-417-3548 (# is posted everywhere anyways, so no big deal)

One more update.SmileWavy

It's now 31 days.
I have received the partial deposit, and preliminary statements stating I will receive more of my deposit back at a later date. No explanation of when, or how much. This was received on the 19th, with claims that it was mailed on the 13th. From 20 minutes away....
Postage was applied on the 13th to the envelope with a Pitney-Bowes machine, and there's no marks to determine when it was actually dropped in the mail.

They mailed it to the old address, despite having the new address beforehand.

I had some friends across the country mail some stuff to the old address, just to see how quickly they were forwarded. They got here in less time.

Why haven't you gone to court yet?

Exactly.

My next communique to them would be sending them the court date. No other explanation or discussion needed.

I filed in small claims. We go in Feb. I haven't served them yet, but soon enough.
I'm tempted to pull it out of small claims, get an attorney, and sock it to them. There was a guy who helped me recover part of the last deposit a few years ago... but I can't get hold of him consistently.

Not sure I want to wait and extended time for "real" court though.