Deposit question please help

[yzjesse]

I recently moved out of an apartment in Washington state. August 31st was the end of our lease. The washing machine went out August 3rd and we cotacted them. A couple of springs broke on the bottom of the tub on the dryer (double stacked machine). When we told them about it they said the only reason that would happen is because we overloaded it. This washing machine is less than a year old. Took them until the 9th to get a service technician to the apartment. He said the springs would have to be replaced. So they had to order the parts. The parts had not shown up by the 31st and of course that was time for us to be out of there. So we had no washing machine for a month! It was rediculous! We got our deposit 2 weeks later showing $430 deducted for our washer! Is this right? Can they do this? If we would have stayed living there they wouldn't of charged us I'm sure. And this was sent to us in an e-mail. August 9th: "In the mean time, unfortunately with the damage to the machine, it will not be available for your use until the repairs have been completed. Do not attempt to use the machine until it has been repaired, otherwise it will result in further machine damage, which will then be at your expense. Please help! THANKS for your time

What caused the springs to break? If it was from normal wear & tear you wouldn't have been responsible. However, I doubt springs break from one year of normal w&t. Sounds like you possibly overloaded the dryer? If so, you pay for the damage you caused. Get a copy of the repairman's report to see the cause of the damage to the machine. If not your fault, ask for that amount back.