Bad home rental reference?

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Here's the situation. I rented a house for 2 years. My husband and I decided to move at the end of our lease. We gave notice to be moved out by 7/26. We were out by 7/20. We left 2 dressers, and 2 couches that a friend was going to be picking up on 7/23. We did basic cleaning (mopping, vacuuming, wiping counters down...) but we didn't do any deep cleaning, per se. The place wasn't by any means "trashed", but it wasn't move in ready, either. On 7/21, the owner of the house went in to the house. She was upset about the items left behind, but if she would have waited until the date we gave on the notice, those items wouldn't have been there. She began texting and emailing me, claiming that we did over $10,000 worth of damage on our way out. There was no damage to the house, outside of normal wear and tear. The worst thing would have been the carpets, but the carpets were at least 7 years old. It was time for it to be replaced. She hasn't filed any lawsuits, and I'm guessing that she was advised not to, since there wasn't the damage she claimed there to be. So...to make a short story long, I am now looking to rent a home in a different state. I had someone pose as a potential landlord looking for a reference and call her, and let's just say that if it were the real deal, I wouldn't have gotten the house. I have a home lined up now, and all I have to do is get the rental application and deposit to the landlord, and we're set. I'm thinking about omitting my last house all together, and just saying that I lived with a friend (I have a friend willing to say that I lived with her), but I don't know how that would work. I have NO idea what to do at this point. I don't want to lie, but I also don't want them calling my previous landlord for a reference. Yes, I could be upfront and honest, but I'm worried that it's going to end up being "her word against mine". For the record, no...I didn't take pictures on my way out. Silly me, I was trusting, thinking that it wouldn't be an issue.

Additional Details

@Marcus. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to put a roof over my children's head. If it means lying, then I'll lie. I'm hoping it won't come to that, though. You seem to have anger issues. I don't see any reason why you would need to be insulting, but thanks for your opinion, anyway. Have a wonderful day.

Thank you! After reading the answers, and giving it alot of thought, I simply called my potential landlord, and I explained the situation to her. While I don't have pictures to prove that I did not destroy the house on my way out, it occurs to me that she doesn't have anything to prove that I did. The landlord didn't say that she would believe me over her, but she did say that she has known renters to turn on their tenants on their way out, much like mine did on me. I'm hopeful that it will work out. I realized that I was more petrified to get caught lying than I was to be turned down for the house. Thanks for your answers.

Bad home rental reference?