Is it common practice for an apartment complex to charge a low damage deposit and then...?

charge a large fee after you move out for damages?

Answer:
take pictures before you move in and make sure the date in on it. protect yourself it will save you money in the long run. don't have a camera, get one of those disposable ones
yes
nothing is surprising anymore, but no, i would not say its normal..if the landlord seems like a creep when you move in, they usually try to say you jacked up the place to take it out of your deposit
Yep. I have invariably left apartments in much better shape than I found them, and had the same thing happen.
Take pictures. We do.

Pictures with the date on them always stack up better in court. They always make a better arguement if some bad landlord tries to do dumb crap and take advantage of you.

I wouldn't say the practice is standard though. Our deposit is low and helps people move in faster because they have less to fork out initially. But, when people don't take care of the place they live in, that deposit goes fast. Repairing holes in walls or fixing damage to two apartments from your leaky faucet that you failed to report. When you set up a dartboard on your living room wall, we have to fix the gazillion dart holes in the wall that surrounded it. When you put up wallpaper and we didn't authorize it and have to spend money to remove it, or when you smoke in your home and drop cigarettes on the floor and have burn marks all in the carpet, or you sneak a pet in and the pet destroys the carpet or other flooring or doors, etc, that gets expensive. I suppose it all depends on what you are being charged for in the long run.

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