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ChatGPTLegal & Disputes2024-12-04

Win $1,180 in small claims after ChatGPT spotted an illegal security deposit

When their landlord kept about $1,000 of the deposit, Chris Maloney ran his lease through ChatGPT. It flagged that New York caps deposits at one month's rent, and they had paid a month and a half. He sued without a lawyer, and a judge awarded him $1,180.

Try it yourself

What you get

Your lease checked against local tenant law, and a case you can take to small claims yourself.

Tools

  • ChatGPT
  • Your lease and the landlord's deduction list

Time / cost: Not stated in the source

Steps

  1. Upload your lease and the landlord's list of deductions.
  2. Ask which local and state tenant rules apply, such as deposit caps, deadlines and itemization.
  3. Check every rule it cites against the official state or city source.
  4. Send a demand letter first. If that fails, ask it to help you organize evidence for small claims court.

Copy-ready prompt

I rented in [city, state] from [dates]. Monthly rent: [amount]. Deposit paid: [amount]. The landlord kept [amount] for [reasons]. Here is my lease: [paste] and their deduction list: [paste].
1. Which deposit laws apply here (caps, return deadline, itemization rules)? Link the official sources.
2. Did the landlord break any of them?
3. Draft a demand letter giving them [14] days to return [amount].
4. Give me a checklist of evidence for small claims court if they refuse.

Prompt written by AgentPlays from the source. Fill in the [brackets] and approve before anything is sent or bought.

Proof / source

Second-hand report Wire-service news report (SWNS) on the court outcome.

Read the original source ↗

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