Housing Court vs Small Claims Court
So should friend go to housing or small claims court for this issue…Landlord withheld over 1/2 the security deposit (somewhere around $1,500) after moving out of apt for repairs made to apartment that are a result of regular wear and tear, as well as for a deductible she needed to pay to insurance for plumbing…
So should friend go to housing or small claims court for this issue…Landlord withheld over 1/2 the security deposit (somewhere around $1,500) after moving out of apt for repairs made to apartment that are a result of regular wear and tear, as well as for a deductible she needed to pay to insurance for plumbing repairs. Damage to plumbing was caused when tenant was out of the state on business trip, and unrelated to any activity caused by tenant. So does it make sense to go to housing or small claims to address this issue? Also is there anything I should suggest to my friend who is dealing with this?
Thanks
Thanks for everyone’s feedback, seems universal that small claims is the way to go. hopefully judge judy will preside! 🙂
Small Claims Court indeed. I did this a couple months ago for the exact same reasons. I chose arbitration and the court found in my favor, although not entirely…but I received nearly 80% of what was withheld.
if the lease is over I believe you can’t go to housing court. small claims works just fine in resolving these issues…
Judge Judy!!
(Actually a friend of mine has a small claims case pending and got a letter from The People’s Court to see if they wanted to pursue their case with them instead… funny stuff.)
ah cool, thanks for feedback! Want to get this over as quickly as possible.
I recommend small claims court. It is inexpensive (used to be $4 to file! no need for an attorney), straightforward (the judge is actually interested in the truth), and immediate (no more than a couple of months to wait). I helped someone use it for a situation like yours and it worked beautifully. I wonder also if it will spare you from being listed on a landlords’ blacklist, as I fear housing court would..