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Landlord Ignoring Request for Security Deposit

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markyg

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? California
I moved out of my previous apartment over a month ago. After giving my landlord more than 30 days notice I vacated a clean and undamaged apartment. Since then I have been trying to contact my former landlord to arrange for my security deposit but have not gotten any responses. I have spoken to the property manager 5-6 times and he keeps telling me that the he has tried to get the owner to send me the check but there is nothing more he can do. In addition, I have sent 20+ emails asking for the money and left the landlord messages on several different lines. Do I have any options at this point short of taking my landlord to court? Also, can I sue him for reimbursement of my fees or any type of bad faith penalty? This guy is a real scumbag and I would prefer to avoid taking him to court as I lived in his property for over 4 years and can not afford for him to speak negatively to any potential landlords in the future. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
 


FarmerJ

Senior Member
Take the LL to court and just stay put in one place for a while so your current rental history counters any negative things the LL has to say.
 

markyg

Junior Member
Would I be able to take any type of action against him if he ever gave me a negative reference?; no damage to apt., always paid on time for 4 years and got along with everyone else in the building
 

Hot Topic

Senior Member
You may have a problem in that you say the landlord is a "real scumbag," yet you lived in one of his apartments for four years.

The only thing you can do if you want your money is to sue him in small claims court and let the judge decide the penalty.

Or you can just write off the money.
 

markyg

Junior Member
Can I only sue him for the amount of the deposit or can I sue him for anything on top of it? I saw $600 somewhere. Thanks for the advice.
 

Who's Liable?

Senior Member
some states allow you to sue for up to 3x the deposit amount. Only when ALL steps have been properly followed do you get a chance to sue the LL.
 

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