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The 72 hour security deposit rule in Oakland saved me $1,400 and my landlord was furious
Everyone on here keeps saying small claims is your only real option when a landlord keeps your deposit, and I used to believe that too until last February when I moved out of a place on Fruitvale Ave in Oakland. My landlord sat on my $1,400 deposit for five weeks and kept telling me he needed to check with his accountant. I finally pulled up Civil Code 1950.5 and read the part most people skip: he has 21 days to send an itemized list or he owes the whole thing back, no deductions allowed. I mailed him a demand letter citing the exact code, sent it certified, and copied the date he got my forwarding address. Twelve days later a check showed up with no letter, no list, nothing. So when people here say you have to sue, that is just not true, the statute does the work for you if you keep your paperwork straight. The catch is you have to send the demand in writing and give him the 21 days before you threaten anything. Did anyone else get their deposit back this way or did yours actually end up in front of a judge?
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