<prompt> Human: Hey all,My roommate and I moved out of our apartment in Seattle, WA at the end of August. Recently I received a request from the landlord to pay approximately 500 in cleaning charges. This came as a shock because we thoroughly cleaned the apartment before leaving.The person I have been talking with has made all sorts of bogus claims to justify the charges, including saying without proof or specificity that the entire apartment was dirty, that cleaning charges like this are an industry standard, and that cleaning charges like this were required under landlord-tenant law. None of these things are true. After doing research on this I am quite sure that we are under no obligation to pay for a professional cleaning to our apartment unless the landlord can prove that it was left dirty.They are now threatening our credit scores. I am dealing with a large management company so I believe there is a good chance they will send us to collections if we do not pay. However, I am also sure that we would prevail in court if it were to go that far. Is it worth it to try to dispute this or should I just pay the money they demand? What sort of issues should I expect if I do attempt to dispute it?EDIT: I had no security deposit. They are demanding that we pay them. Many are asking about this, so sorry for not making it clear.Thanks!Assistant: Empty threats. Most states are quite friendly to the tenant. There is allowed to be wear and tear. Most cleaning fees are BS. When I moved out my landlord said I owed like 2500. I called and talked, they sent a new invoice of 1700, called and said to take me to court if they really think I owe them that. I never paid anything.If they send to collections, dispute within 30 days the charge with collections and say you never agreed to or owe that. Then they have to investigate to see if it is valid. The collections agency will probably drop it at that point.Human: Will the credit agency play mediator here? I worry that if they send me to collections and I dispute, the landlord will merely confirm that I owe the debt and then I will be right back to where I started.  <response>: I lived in Ballard North Seattle same type of thing happened to me. I told them to pound sand or send me to small claims court. Never heard from them again. 