Landlord Refuses To Return Deposit, Gets Taken To Court, Appeals, Loses Everything

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mattstaff
Jun 19, 2021 5:00 PM EDT

This isn't the first time we've come across a rather gnarly landlord situation, and we're sure that it won't be the last time. There's something about far too many landlords in this world that ends up involving them getting all kinds of greedy. It's as if they make this sweeping assumption that their tenants don't know their rights, and won't do the necessary homework to ensure that those rights are upheld. Well, this tale of pro revenge that involves a landlord definitely has a happy ending. We love to see it. 

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  • 01
    Rectangle - r/ProRevenge + Join u/cyberchief · 1y 2 1 W 1 1 When trying to get your deposit back from your landlord is like drawing blood from a stone TL;DR Landlord makes living conditions offers me an opportunity to move out. I convince two others to move out as well. He ghosts me when I ask for my deposit so I take him to court. I win $650 so he appeals the court's decision. In the appeal, my award is tripled to $1800. He refuses to pay up so I get the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to go t
    via u/cyberchief
  • 02
    Font - this was much longer than I expected after Holy typing it out. I've tried to shorten it as much as possible but here it goes: Back in 2018, I had a temporary internship in California at {insert large tech company} so I took a recommendation from a friend about a room for rent. It would be living with 5 other people, but otherwise, it looked fantastic with spacious common areas, multiple huge TVs, full amenities, community rec center w/ pool, short drive times to multiple places of interes
    via u/cyberchief
  • 03
    Font - When it came time to move in, I discover a few caveats that came with this low rent price. The common areas were all dusty, none of the 3 large TVs worked properly, if we wanted access to the rec center and pool, we'd need to pay the $80/mo membership fee, and all of the 'short drives' time estimates were exaggerated, unless you were speeding at 2x the speed limit. Whatever, it's not the end of the world, especially at the relatively low price. I'll survive.
    via u/cyberchief
  • 04
    Font - But then it got worse in the coming months. Landlord decided to charge us an extra $20/ month for 'paper towels and public cleaning supplies', Landlord only checked the community mailbox once a week when he was in town and refused to trust anybody with the mailbox key. As it starts to roll into the summer, in June, too much and we were using too much, so he removed the thermostat from the wall. Um, ok. One day some of us tenants confronted him when he was at the house Landlord decided tha
    via u/cyberchief
  • 05
    Font - I'm tilted as at this guy's obvious money grab from 6 tenants. Well it turns out he's right, he legally doesn't need to provide air conditioning. So, the next day I purchase a high BTU free-standing portable air conditioner that exhausts out the window. Holy shit, this thing was luxury. Of course I pump my room to 65°F, the lowest setting. We have a couple other minor disagreements that wind up with wanted to break my lease and move out early. Perfect. Landlord texting me that it's fine i
    via u/cyberchief
  • 06
    Font - "It's legal for me to do it and I don't care since I don't have to pay for electricity." He leaves and later sends me a text. Yea ok. "Landlord, I'm taking his move- out offer seriously and this whole time, l've been rallying the troops. All the tenants have been upset about everyone's living situation so with some minor encouragement, I manage to convince two of the other 6 tenants to move out at the same time as me. (They were on a month-to-month arrangement.) I finally submit all our '
    via u/cyberchief
  • 07
    Font - Time comes to move out. I found another room for rent much closer to the office for only $100/mo more. We all move out and I text deposit. 'Landlord about my security No response. I text again. No response. Ok, I see where this is going. I spend days and days reading the law, compiling evidence/screenshots, and listing the laws that were broken. The smoking gun was the statute that requires a pre-move-out inspection and a list of things to fix, and itemized list of deductions within 21 da
    via u/cyberchief
  • 08
    Font - I text again and again. I give him plenty of leniency and I even cite the laws so I can prove in court that l'm acting 'In Good Faith' and the laws that I made him aware about. probably thinks I'm a young push-over college student who won't follow through with legal threats. Well sir, we're going to court because l'm petty as comes to people trying to Landlord intentionally ignored Landlord : when it me over. I file in small claims for $650 plus treble damages, plus court costs. Landlord
    via u/cyberchief
  • 09
    Font - The court date is set for November and I leave the state just before Christmas so just in time to appear in person since my internship ends and I fly home in December. He starts filing to requests to postpone the trial. He cites a doctor's appointment and the motion is granted. Court date is rescheduled for month later, in December but still before I fly home. New court date approaches and he files another request to postpone, citing another doctor's appointment. Somehow that motion is gr
    via u/cyberchief
  • 10
    Font - Welp. I'm not in CA anymore, Il'm across the country on the east coast. Landlord thinks if I'm no longer in the state, he'll automatically win since l'm not willing to fly back to CA. Well unbeknownst to California courts offer an option to appear by telephone. Haha. 'Landlord, Court day comes and I get the call. I'm sworn in and then connected to the court. I'm given time to present my case. Unfortunately, I didn't prepare a script so I kinda summarize the events and explain why I deserv
    via u/cyberchief
  • 11
    Font - himself and explain his counterclaim. He doesn't prepare anything either and he ends up rambling about random that doesn't help his case at all. For example, he spends a lot of time explaining how another one of the tenants was and so his behavior was justified. He doesn't even have a sliver of evidence for his counterclaim when the judge asks for it. The judge asks a few more questions and announces that he'll review the evidence and we'll get the decision in the mail. A couple weeks lat
    via u/cyberchief
  • 12
    Font - This time l'm 10x more prepared. Once again, I'm sworn in and then they connect me to the courtroom speaker. This time I have a hashed out script that I read, making sure to emphasize how often I informed of the law, how often the law, and how I offered so much leniency and so many opportunities to do the right thing. Once again, Landlord doesn't prepare anything, but instead rambles on so much that even the judge tells him to get back on track multiple times. caused water damage and had
    via u/cyberchief
  • 13
    Font - A couple weeks later, I get the judgement. I'm owed $1800 and Landlord still gets nothing. Well would you look at that. His appeal did not quite work out for him. He goes from owing $650 to owing me $1800. Being the mistrial, claiming I was not sworn in and that I lied in my testimony. Denied. head that he is, he files for a Landlord offers a payment plan Outside of court, of $20/month which will take 7.5 years to pay back, or otherwise he refuses to pay up. Ok, I see how collecting my mo
    via u/cyberchief
  • 14
    Font - I finally get the glorious check in the mail, 20 months after moving out. I'll probably frame it. Total: $1,893.91 Edit: for everyone telling me to cash the check, I already deposited the money into my bank account via mobile check depositing. Edit2: Small claims cases are CHEAP to file. You'll pay about $50 in most states and it'll rarely be as high as $100. Plus, the loser has to pay you back when you win.
    via u/cyberchief

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