This is a minor problem. The bigger problem is when you leave, and the landlord refuse to refund your deposit. Some will even claim damages you didn't make (pre-existing faults before you move in, or exaggerated, and they get their friends to make up bills for repair/cleaning). Some landlords simply hide from you and claim they are overseas everytime you phone them. If the amount is too small, most people wouldn't sue.

Tenants retaliate by (1) taking photo and noting down defects, they then get the landlord to sign for these before they move in (2) creating "handover letters", where they get the landlord to inspect, sign and confirm the premises are returned in good condition when they return the shop. Obviously this means making an appointment to meet at the shop. (3) "using up" their deposits. When they decide to leave, they do not inform the landlord properly. Instead, they start to delay their payments. And by the date that they are actually leaving, they've used up all their deposits.

The UK system is a lot better. The landlord don't simply keep the deposit in their own bank account. There would be times when there are landlords with serious cash flow problems who've used the tenant's deposits for other things, and simply can't come up with the money when they need to refund it. If the shop gets a new tenant immediately, they can just take the new deposit and use part of it to pay the old tenant. But when there's a gap of a few months, the tenant could simply lose their entire deposit.

This post has been edited by zeb kew: Dec 6 2015, 11:47 AM

I recommend that you simply ask him to pay it forward.