A security deposit generally covers unpaid rent and physical damage beyond normal wear — not whatever the landlord feels like tacking on. So a “final water bill” or “utilities” line on the itemized statement deserves a hard look before you accept it.
Whether the charge is proper turns on two things:
- Whose name was the account in? If the [water / gas / electric] account was in your name, the provider bills you directly — it was never the landlord’s cost, so it usually isn’t a valid deposit deduction. If the account was in the landlord’s name (utilities included in rent, master-metered, or billed back to tenants), an unpaid balance the lease assigns to you may be deductible — with proof.
- What does the lease say? A deduction for a landlord-paid utility needs a lease clause making you responsible for it. No clause, no deduction.
Either way, an unproven “utilities” number isn’t enough. Ask for the actual bill.
[Your name / address / contact]
[Date]
[Landlord name / address]
Re: Disputed utility / final-bill deduction
[former rental address, unit #]
Dear [Landlord name],
Your itemized statement dated [date] deducts $[amount] from my deposit
for "[utilities / final water bill / final electric bill]." I dispute this
charge and ask for documentation before any amount is withheld.
The [water / gas / electric] account was in [my name / your name].
• [If it was in my name:] Because the account was in my name, the
provider billed me directly and this was never a cost you paid. It is
not a proper deduction from my security deposit.
• [If it was in your name:] Please send the actual bill showing the
balance, the exact service period, the meter readings, and the lease
provision that makes me responsible for it. Any charge for service
after my move-out date of [move-out date] is not mine.
Please remove this charge, or send the supporting documentation, within
[10] days, and refund any amount you cannot document.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Your printed name]
What wins these disputes
- The service period. You owe utilities up to your move-out date, not for days the unit sat empty or the next tenant used it. Check the dates on the bill.
- Proof, not a round number. “$150 utilities” with no invoice is not documentation. A real bill has a balance, a period, and often meter readings.
- Shared or master-metered charges must be allocated fairly and per the lease — a whole-building bill can’t simply be dumped on you.
- Account in your name = not the landlord’s loss. This is the strongest point when it applies.
Don’t dispute a bill you genuinely owe. If there’s a real unpaid balance that’s actually yours under the lease, refusing it just invites a counterclaim and weakens the rest of your case. Pay what’s truly yours; fight the charges that aren’t yours, aren’t proven, or cover the wrong dates.
If the whole statement is vague or missing receipts, start by forcing a proper one with the request for an itemized statement; if the landlord never itemized at all, see the no-itemized-statement demand. For other bad line items, use the deduction-dispute letters.