How we verify
Accuracy is the product.
A wrong rule is worse than no tool. So every number on this site is traced to the statute it comes from, shown with its citation and the date we last checked it, and built so you can verify it yourself.
Most landlord guides paraphrase the law and never show their work. We do the opposite. Here is exactly how the rules in this tool are sourced, checked, and kept current.
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Traced to the primary source
Every rule comes from the primary source that governs it: the Texas Property Code, Chapter 92, the California Civil Code, section 1950.5, the Florida Statutes, Chapter 83, and, where a California city adds a deposit-interest ordinance, that city's own municipal code and rent-board publications. No blog summaries, no secondhand charts.
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Shown with its citation
Each rule displays its exact section, for example Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103, linked to the official statute, so you can read the law yourself.
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The statute text, verbatim
Where it helps, we show the actual wording of the law next to the plain-English explanation, so you see the source, not just our interpretation of it.
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Independently re-checked
Each rule is derived from the primary sources, then checked again against them by a separate, adversarial review. Where a rule is a combined reading of more than one section rather than a single sentence, we label it "our reading" and explain it.
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Dated
Every rule carries a "last verified" date. A specific, recent date is the clearest honest signal that the information is current and actively maintained.
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Re-checked over time
We periodically re-check the official statute sources, especially after each legislative session, and re-verify the affected rules before anything on the site changes.
You don't have to take our word for it. On the tool, every rule shows its section linked to the official statute, the verbatim statute text wherever there is text to quote, and a last-verified date. Where a rule is our synthesis of more than one section, we mark it so you know exactly what is the statute and what is our reading.
What this is, and what it isn't
This is general legal information, presented as clearly and accurately as we can make it. It is not legal advice, and the tool is not a law firm. It explains the rules and does the math on the facts you enter. It does not decide whether your specific deductions are lawful or whether anyone acted in bad faith. Those are questions for a court, and for genuinely unusual situations you should talk to a licensed attorney in your state.
Found something wrong?
Accuracy is the product, so a correction is a gift. If you think a rule is off or out of date, email security@orygn.tech and we will re-verify it against the statute and fix it, with a fresh "last verified" date.