The damage deposit today is usually kept by landlords as they have all sorts of sneaky ways of claiming it. Then if you want to go to court, there goes your damage deposit plus some. The system is rigged - even when the HAC was around. My advice after many years of being a renter is to think of the damage deposit as lost money- if you find a landlord who gives it back you have found a true human in an industry of rats.

My horrible experience with Leff Jinder (Changed his name to not give it away) was my landlord up here and he owns a ton of properties in East Duluth. I went to the HAC to get mine back as it was kept because I wanted to move out a month early because I purchased a home. There was already a new renter who wanted to move in, but he kept it anyway. We had an agreement (verbal) when I moved in that I would be buying a home, but that didn't matter. The HAC told me it would cost more to go to court than it would to just let him have it. This landlord never fixed what was supposed to be fixed and living by his current properties I watch as they are falling apart and he will sell when he has run the property into the ground.

In Saint Cloud where I attended college I had the worst one. My landlord sold the property while I was living there. The next guy came in and kept my damage deposit because he said I paid my rent late two months ($200 a month was the fine). I never paid my rent late, but he said it was one day late - even though I had to mail the check to South Dakota and the guy never repaired anything.

My advice is if you rent just assume the deposit is gone. When you move out don't waste time cleaning. Any damage you do will just be left for the next person, so don't try to pound a million holes in the walls. Renting sucks... 

Other advice: look at a property in the evening on a Friday night to see who really lives there. The walls up here are paper thin. My last place had a college girl who blasted her stereo in her living room and then went downstairs to her bedroom. If you are below someone know that they will move furniture at all hours of the day and night, so always move up even though carrying a couch up stairs sucks.

Renters should have more protection.