<prompt> Human: Yesterdays postThank you for all the advice! I sent out the certified letter yesterday but today I actually received a phone call! The management company in Illinois hemmed and hawed on the phone for a bit probably because I was recording before passing me back to the property manager in Texas.So I called the property again dont have to inform them to phone recording in Texas! and couldnt get a hold of manager but had someone take a message. Remember, these were the folks who last week said their hands were tied and I had to deal entirely with the management company going forward.A few minutes later I get call back from Illinois saying the property manager called them. She never even had the gall to call me directly. Guilty conscience?There were a few legit cleaning items in there that I feel were reasonable and never planned on contesting in the first place. But the unpaid rent, 700 of painting charges, etc. all got reversed. In literally 10 minutes.All in all, no excess charges and Im getting the majority of my security deposit back. Happy ending! It really was nothing more than a scary letter and posturing on their side. I considered myself a pretty savvy renter in the first place but I definitely learned a few things Ill be applying to my current apartment.HOPEFULLY Ill get my refund in a week or so and this will all be taken care of. If they pull any more shenanigans Ill update again.  <response>: Great to read! I love a good update. 