Looks like I'm plain screwed? Landlord keeping my security deposit:

[jlee]

I already fucking responded earlier saying I live in the 3rd or 4th largest city. It's not hard to find affordable housing.

I live in a 3bdr 2.5bath 2 story and our home payment of principle + interest is $455. Enjoy depleting all your money every month while not building any equity or having any fun in life though /shrug

If you live in a place that pays NYC-area salaries, I'm all ears.

Nice assumption, though.

 

[Ns1]

If you live in a place that pays NYC-area salaries, I'm all ears.

It's houston or chicago according to wikipedia. houston's not too shabby but couldn't pay me to live in chicago.

actually that's a lie, yeah you could but it better be a yuuuuge number.

 

[BoomerD]

Didn't read thread, but had this happen to me a couple of times. Check your state's Landlord - Tenant laws. In my state, the landlord has 30 days to give you an itemized list of deductions from your security deposit in writing. If they do not give you this list, you are then entitled to your full security deposit back.

They also have 45 days to return your security deposit (partial if there were deductions, in full if there were not.) If they do not return it you are then entitled to 3 times the amount of your security deposit. There are lawyers who deal exclusively with this sort of thing, and will take care of everything so that you get all of your money, and your landlord ends up paying all court costs etc. I'm 2/2 on getting my deposit back.

PM me if you need more info.

You posted incorrect (for NJ) info. Read my post above.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

If you live in a place that pays NYC-area salaries, I'm all ears.

Nice assumption, though.

To get the salary equivalent of what I have in NY or Bay Area, etc, you would need at least 160k+. That's not going to happen with my level of experience and working years under my belt. Don't forget insane state/city income taxes ontop of it.

It's not just property costs that are higher in those areas. Even if I was being paid that I would still never justify that large of a cost for renting something you will never own. Like anywhere else in the world, I'm sure you can move 20-30 away from the city for pennies compared to those laughable rent costs.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

What was her rational in the letter?

 

[Darwin333]

I honestly think a lot of landlords just don't return the deposit in hopes the renter will just go away but if you persist, she very well may pay it back. This happened with two of my landlords in the past.

Bingo!

I've gotten two friends their security deposits back, that was previously denied, by simply sending a certified letter. They never had to even bring it to court, just show that they were willing to and knew how to.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I already fucking responded earlier saying I live in the 3rd or 4th largest city. It's not hard to find affordable housing.

I live in a 3bdr 2.5bath 2 story and our home payment of principle + interest is $455. Enjoy depleting all your money every month while not building any equity or having any fun in life though /shrug

So, you don't live in the city but outside of it.

 

[Fern]

I've won judgments in small claims court. In my experience, sooner or later they will pay. I'm not in NJ so I can't speak to you options for collection. In my case I just had a lien on the person owing me money and eventually, when they needed a good credit report etc, they paid.

If the other party is technically a corporation, eventually they'll need a loan, attempt to refinance or simply sell the property and you'll likely get paid.

Also as noted above, liens are good for a certain length of time. However in every state I've been it was fairly simple to extend the lien for an additional period when the initial one was about to expire.

Fern

 

[jlee]

To get the salary equivalent of what I have in NY or Bay Area, etc, you would need at least 160k+. That's not going to happen with my level of experience and working years under my belt. Don't forget insane state/city income taxes ontop of it.

It's not just property costs that are higher in those areas. Even if I was being paid that I would still never justify that large of a cost for renting something you will never own. Like anywhere else in the world, I'm sure you can move 20-30 away from the city for pennies compared to those laughable rent costs.

With property taxes at $8-15k a year, $2k a month for rent isn't all that bad. You're not buying much of a house for $1k a month in a lot of HCOL areas.

 

[iamwiz82]

It's houston or chicago according to wikipedia. houston's not too shabby but couldn't pay me to live in chicago.

actually that's a lie, yeah you could but it better be a yuuuuge number.

Having been to Houston 6 or 7 times now, you can keep that dump.

 

[Mike64]

Writ of execution and all that and people don't end up collecting.
[...]
I'm in NJ but landlord lives in Atlanta.

People don't collect only if their adversary has no identifiable, attachable assets, or when it costs more to collect than the judgement is worth.

Her living in GA might potentially make collecting more expensive, but on the other hand, if she really lives there full-time, it also gives her no small incentive to cough up the deposit before it comes to the actual trial, since either she or her attorney and/or witness(es) will have to show up in court in NJ or risk a default judgment against her, either of which will cost her some amount of money. Since the deposit she owes you isn't that much and even the "cost" of a salaried attorney on her staff (much less one paid by the hour), or personal a roadtrip or air flight from GA to NJ, aren't quite "pocket change", hopefully it'll turn out that she's just a reasonably intelligent scumbag. The sort who hopes the people they try to screw will fume impotently and then go away rather than try to do something practical about it, but who're smart enough not to argue too much or throw money into it when they realize they've guessed wrong in any particular situation...

If you do get a judgment one way or the other, not only can you (at greater expense) pursue collection in GA, or put a lien on her NJ property, but she may well have liquid assets in NJ. (And there are companies that track down other people's assets, not necessarily at great expense.) If nothing else, in the form of the monthly rents being paid on her property. Where did you send your rent checks? Where were those checks deposited? (Check your cancelled checks, or more likely the images which are probably available online in magnifiable form, as well as printed as small images on your statements.)


As for the rest, is it too much to hope for that you have photos of the empty apartment as you left it? Any sort of documentary evidence of any kind that she did in fact do the walk-through with you (emails, text messages, or saved voicemails setting up the appointment, for example) and/or that she expressed satisfaction with its condition? Every little bit helps...

 

[waffleironhead]

If you live in a place that pays NYC-area salaries, I'm all ears.

Nice assumption, though.

His heatware says Houston. Doesnt look like a low COL area to me.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

His heatware says Houston. Doesnt look like a low COL area to me.

That would be correct - well - where I live at least.

But if you don't think Houston is low COL area (or simply Texas in general) then I'll have what you're having. You must be smoking something. Again, my house is $140k with 3bdr 2.5bath - decent neighborhood - no income taxes...

My house bill $455/month, and I get to work via a bus that costs me ~$6 for a round trip (vs. Gas/Parking costs). My cost of living is as little as it gets.

Having been to Houston 6 or 7 times now, you can keep that dump.

Having lived here my entire life I can say this... We know how to eat here. That's about it. Basically meaning, we have some pretty damn good restaurants.

You can find dumps. You can find damn nice areas. And you can find simple middle-class level areas that are just fine for living as well. But yes, the city as a whole - is a piece of crap. Mostly because it's all about sitting in your car for 40+ minutes per day, having traffic just going to the store on a Saturday. Plenty of stupid people. Plenty of bums. All the while the city elects liberal morons that drive us further and further into the ground.

Did I mention Houston is having severe debt issues? They promised Union workers a 10% interest on their pensions. When the market doesn't perform to 10% gains, the city apparently agreed to foot the bill for the difference to 10%. You can guess how the last 2 years have gone (Hint: Debt has nearly quadrupled).

 

[Zeze]

Nowhere in the OP did Zeze say that his ex-landlord is refusing to refund his security deposit. He just stared that he lost communication; he didn't even mention how long it's been. He probably moved out over the weekend - the end of the month. His ex-landlord could have a very good reason for not getting back to him within the 48 hours since he vacated the property, especially since the law provides for 30 days.

Zeze sounds like a whiny little bitch, and I'd wait until the 23rd hour of the 29th day to return hos security deposit just to fuck with him

Oh this guy. This guy is harboring a three year old grudge against me. He pops up once in a blue and spews his hatred like this.

So sad. It was at a fitness forum where I didn't follow his workout routine, I mean wtf? Oh, internet.

 

[Ns1]

^^

you've got a gangstalker problem

 

[Zeze]

^^

you've got a gangstalker problem

Yea. It's both amusing and disturbing how someone's feather can be THAT ruffled over many years.

It wasn't even anything serious. I don't even remember it. I think he got mad I insisted on eating cheerios during my keto workout in our AT fitness forum. I'm not joking.

Look at his last sentence. So. Much. Anger.

 

[chimaxi83]

Oh this guy. This guy is harboring a three year old grudge against me. He pops up once in a blue and spews his hatred like this.

So sad. It was at a fitness forum where I didn't follow his workout routine, I mean wtf? Oh, internet.

In this entire thread, this crap is the only thing you give a meaningful response to? He must've touched a nerve, or he hit the nail on the head.

 

[zinfamous]

Landlord tried to pull that exact same shit on me about 6 months ago. I gave him the number for my buddy's law firm and told him to expect a call from them if he did not call them within two days.

He mailed the check that week.

 

[Humpy]

Oh this guy. This guy is harboring a three year old grudge against me. He pops up once in a blue and spews his hatred like this.

So sad. It was at a fitness forum where I didn't follow his workout routine, I mean wtf? Oh, internet.

WTF indeed. Quit skipping leg day and shit like this won't happen.

 

[crashtech]

Last place we rented, the management company was crooked, so we convinced our real estate agent to attend the walkthrough as a witness. Nothing like a third party to provide excellent testimony against any lying sacks of crap. Got our deposit back right on schedule.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

I'm paying 2400 a month around Portland and it's only a 5 bedroom 2700 sq. ft.

I've got 4k in deposits because reasons.

I won't get it back.

This is known.

 

[crashtech]

I'm paying 2400 a month around Portland and it's only a 5 bedroom 2700 sq. ft.

I've got 4k in deposits because reasons.

I won't get it back.

This is known.

Not sure if there is a subtext there, but if the terms of the agreement don't ensure forfeiture of the deposit, then you evince an unwarranted defeatism that only serves to embolden the unscrupulous.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Not sure if there is a subtext there, but if the terms of the agreement don't ensure forfeiture of the deposit, then you evince an unwarranted defeatism that only serves to embolden the unscrupulous.

I know. And thinking like a person making a decent income I can see that.

But my initial perspective is always going to be that poor person who constantly gets fucked and had better not worry about the 'legal' system lest I go to jail... again... for being an ethnic minority from a poor family. (I'm a white guy that grew up in a place that's 90% Hispanic).

 

[Anubis]

 

[zinfamous]

It's houston or chicago according to wikipedia. houston's not too shabby but couldn't pay me to live in chicago.

actually that's a lie, yeah you could but it better be a yuuuuge number.

Chicago is fantastic. It would take a zero dollar payment for me to live there (again).

But I understand your reservations: I don't think there is any bull penis to be found.

But it is one of the best foodie places anywhere.