Renters Warehouse

I moved into a town home occupied by two other girls who had been here 1 year already, another third girl who had been here as well moved out and I moved in. I was under the impression that I was signing a new year long lease (from Oct 1 2015-September 30 2016), as were the other girls who expected to get their security deposits back and to repay them for the new lease. I asked Renter's Warehouse where to send the deposit and that's where the issues began. They told me I had to "work it out with the girl who moved out" because according to MN Law they could not release any of the deposits until the lease was fully terminated by all the girls involved. I asked what the statute number and/or name of this law was MULTIPLE times in emails (all of which I have kept) and every time I was brushed off. Naturally, I was extremely apprehensive about paying $500 dollars to a girl I did not know, particularly since Renter's Warehouse never came in and did a check between her moving out and me moving in. I expressed all these concerns as well as the fact that I find it extremely unfair that she gets a full $500 back and I (as well as the other two girls still here) may end up paying for any damages at the end of the lease. No where in the lease did it make any of these things clear to us and no one I have talked to, attorneys included, have ever heard of one renter paying another the security deposit when someone moves out. I am NOT a subleaser and this was presented as a new year long lease which started OCTOBER 1, 2015. I feel deceived and taken advantage of and will be contacting the Attorney General. This policy should have been more explicitly stated or shown, since I was told it is a common point of confusion. I find it extremely poor business practice to say that one renter must pay another renter the security deposit with NO GUIDANCE from the company.