Landlord Question and Answer Forum

I have a tenant in California who decided to break her lease several months early, by moving into an assisted living home. She's only giving me 15 days notice, but I'll get over that. My question is, what can I withhold from the Sec. Dep since in my lease it says I can't use it toward rent? She has unpaid utilities and late fees, and even deducted money from the rent once because she said the water bill was too high and she shouldn't be responsible for such a high bill. She also has never paid for break/fix repairs that were caused by her or her guests. Can I withhold those unpaid bills, late fees, service calls, etc. from the Security Dep? Luckily I asked for First and last months rent, so that should cover me for a month while I get the house ready to be rented again. Just not clear on the rules for how I can use the Security Deposit. Thanks.