Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

Re: refund check for a deposit on an apartment

He has to give you a written statement of the repairs and the costs. Send a letter by certified mail requesting the statement. If he doesn't respond, or if he responds and it doesn't sound right, take him to small claims court.

Re: refund check for a deposit on an apartment

The law is clear on this (I assume you mean "deposit" return check).

Landlord can only charge you for damages you caused and not ordinary wear and tear. Your situation is the main reason lawyers insist their tenant clients "walk through" the premises with the landlord after the lease ends, and inspect the premises together.

However, unless you had one heckuva big microwave, and an incredible light fixture, $500 is excessive.

Good news: the law says a judge can assess a landlord who keep deposit money in "bad faith" can be hit with $600 in penalties payable to the tenant. So you have up to an $1,100 law suit here.

You should retain an attorney to write a letter to landlord that you can, and will sue, without the refund of the $500 ASAP. You can also do it yourself (certified, return receipt), but attorney's letters usually work better than tenant's letters when dealing with misers like this man.

Then you go to Small Claims Court.

Feel free to e-mail, or call, my office if you need more.

Good luck!