<prompt> Human: The kicker is they didnt leave the keys either. Here is the slew of details in which I could certainly use some advice on. I live in Seattle and the rent was recently raised in my two bedroom from 1495 to 1795, my old roommate who was an old friend of mine decided that was too steep and found a new place on the other side of the neighborhood Fremont. In a panic I went to CraigslistFacebook housing groups to fill the room on a months notice because anyone I knew personally didnt needwant to move on such a short notice or couldnt come up with the money in that time frame. On the last day of Febuary I showed the apartment to a couple that was 21 and 22, Im 28, it was miserable. After telling them to clean up, keep it down, last week they vacated yesterday when I was at work. I need to mail the rent check by the fifth. I will have about 700 in my account.I filed my taxes Febuary 14th and was to receive 1200, it has not come and ive gotten no notices about it. Every time I go to the website where it is tracked I am told I have no further information on its arrival, but figure if I filed incorrectly I would have had a pile of emails and paper mail informing me of such. Im a line cook, I get decent hours 32 to 38 a week at 15.50 plus a handful of tips every day but its pretty miniscule to the cost of living in Seattle at the moment. Certainly wouldnt pay enough to get me through the rent I owe by the end of the week.I plan on putting anything of value retro games, guitar stuff, laptop in the storage unit I forgot to tell them about in the garage when I leave for work in about an hour. One last note is that my property manager, ive known the guy for years before I was his tenant is a prideful slumlord. My rent check I mailed a month ago hasnt been cashed yet, he essentialy hasnt fixed the mail box with the broken door or cleaned up the pile of shit in the garage that a homeless person left a month ago, he gave us a discount on our unit three years ago and renting from him has always been cheap. And being working class I have a gut instinct of not testing the housing market right now. I really like the place, ive kept it up, it has a whole view of the Seattle skyline. But knowing what I do should I just wait this out for a new roommate? Save for the month and burn bridges with my property manager and find a new place? I paid first and last months on moving in, do I have to give him notice?The hell do I do?Assistant: Uh, you let people move in without giving you a security deposit? This sounds like an expensive lesson on your part.Never give anyone the keys before getting the security deposit. If they say they only have X amount too fuckin bad, they need to go to an ATM before they get the keys.Human: The lease was up two years ago and im operating on a month to month basis at the moment, so the thought never came to mind. I figured a lack of paper work would benefit my situation for some reason  <response>: Benefits them, hurts you. 