Deposits + back pay
Housing & work
Security deposits landlords keep without cause, unpaid overtime, withheld final paychecks, stolen tips. What state law and the Fair Labor Standards Act say you are owed, and how to claim it for free, often with double damages.
- Housing & workLandlord keeping your security deposit? Deadlines by state, what they can't deduct, and the 2x–3x penalty for bad faithEvery state sets a deadline (14 to 60 days) for the landlord to return your deposit with an itemized list of deductions. Normal wear and tear can't be charged. Miss the deadline or withhold in bad faith and many states make the landlord pay double or triple the deposit. The move-out checklist, the demand letter, and small claims.
- Housing & workUnpaid overtime or wages? You're owed double (FLSA back pay + liquidated damages), and it's free to claimFederal law requires time-and-a-half after 40 hours for most hourly and many salaried workers, and pays back wages plus an equal amount in liquidated damages when employers get it wrong. Off-the-clock work, misclassified "managers" and "contractors," tip theft, unpaid breaks: how to check if you're owed, the Department of Labor's free wage claim, and why lawyers take these cases at no cost to you.
- Housing & workFinal paycheck rules by state: when it's due, unused vacation payout, and the penalties for paying lateQuit or fired, your last paycheck has a legal deadline in most states, from immediately to the next regular payday, and many states pay you a penalty for every day it's late (California: up to 30 days of wages). Which states must pay out unused PTO, what an employer can and can't deduct, and how to file a wage claim in 15 minutes.