Please Help. Landlord trying to Railroad us out of spite.

[evlo]

My boyfriend and I are not on good terms with our former landlady. We moved out on the first of the month and today is the the 26th. She is just now sending us our security deposit or so we thought.
We live in San Diego California.
We rented a room in her home. She lived there as well with her dog and assorted family members.
We moved into the master bedroom. She moved part of her belongings out same day that we moved in, needless to say it wasn't new house clean.
We lived in the home for 2 months and gave her a 600 dollar security deposit.
She is charging us 600+ an additional 258.22 for assorted damages, plus 66.67 for unpayed rent that was not agreed upon.

The charges are as follows:
Cleaning Bedroom- 65
Cleaning Bathroom - 40
Sink Area - 25
-Mind you this is all one room with attached bath.
Pick up dog feces -15
Clean Refrigerator - 40

Damaged Door(there was damage, but we repaired it with molding)
Door - 50
Molding - 35
Labor - 110

Here's where it gets interesting.
MISSING SILVERWARE
4 knives - 12
7 steak knives - 24.50
3 Tea spoons - 9.00
4 table spoons - 12.00
1 Serving Spoon - 4
1 glass(noted, but no price included?)

Missing Tupperware 15
Tv disposal 75, was left outside on trash day with note
Washer Damage 70

"Replace FECES infested mulch in side yard
Materials - 8.72
LABOR - 20
We have always taken care to pick up after our dog and she herself has a dog.

Reupholster Couch 275

Totaling to a whopping 885.22
All of this is a typed up letter, with no contractors involved, no itemized receipts, no professionals, no hourly based fees, just arbitrary numbers.

This woman lives in the home and uses all of the same accommodations, not to mention that while we stayed with her for 2 MONTHS, there were frequent guests, in those 2 months she had her mother, nephew, nephew, brother, niece, son, and ex husband. Throughout the entirety of our stay we were practically never without her guests. Consequently we never ventured far outside of the room we rented.

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated.
Evan

 

[FarmerJ]

Use small claims courts to ask for refund based on her being late to do the disposition and to dispute the amounts she has held back and the additional amounts she is asking.

 

[Gail in Georgia]

Familiarize yourself with the requirements for security deposit returns in California:

http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/sec-deposit.shtml

Because you moved out on the first of the month, your landlord is likely going to claim that you owe for the month as opposed to prorating the rent for January. Prior to you moving out, did you provide her with the appropriate written notice you were going to terminate this month to month tenancy?

Gail