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How do I check my lease or security deposit with AI?

When his 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 a judge awarded him $1,180.

Steps

  1. Paste the lease, or the deposit and fees sections, with names and addresses removed.
  2. Tell the AI your state or country and ask which clauses may not comply with local law.
  3. Look up each flagged rule on your state or city's official housing site.
  4. Ask for a polite demand letter citing the rule, and keep a copy.
  5. If that fails, small claims court is an option. Check your local process.

Prompts

AgentPlays template Written by AgentPlays because the source doesn't publish an exact prompt we could quote. Fill in the [brackets].

I rent in [state/city]. Below is my lease. List any clauses about the security deposit, fees, repairs or ending the lease that may not comply with [state] law, quote each clause, and name the law or rule to check. Then tell me what to verify on an official government site.

Lease: [paste]

Recommended tools

ChatGPT · Claude (opens in our AI Directory)

Watch out: Not legal advice. The source doesn't quote his prompt, so this is our template.

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