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Showerthought: It took me 14 months to get my security deposit back from a landlord in Phoenix
I moved out of my apartment in Phoenix in March of 2023 and I just got my $1,200 deposit back 2 weeks ago. The whole thing should have taken 14 days by law but the guy kept saying he needed to check the carpet and then he went quiet for months at a time. I called, I emailed, I sent a certified letter with tracking, and nothing. What finally worked was filing a small claims case online for $45 and mailing him the court papers, he sent a check in 9 days. I spent maybe 30 hours total on this over more than a year for money that was mine the whole time. Is there a faster move I missed besides small claims, or does everybody just wait this out?
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rosebennett1d ago
Small claims is the fast move, but you still burned 14 months before trying it. In most states the law says they owe you the deposit plus damages if they miss the deadline, sometimes double or triple. The trick is sending a demand letter that quotes the statute and gives them 7 days, that scares the lazy ones. Waiting never works, they just hope you give up.
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