Can we talk about how my old landlord kept my $1,200 deposit over a fence I never touched?
I moved out of a duplex in Sacramento on March 1st after living there for almost 3 years. Two weeks later I got a letter saying they were keeping my full $1,200 deposit for a broken fence gate, but the gate was already broken when I moved in and I even have photos from my move-in day. I sent them the photos and asked for an itemized receipt, and the property manager just stopped answering my emails. Do I need a lawyer for small claims or can I file this myself? Has anyone here actually gotten a deposit back after a landlord went quiet like this?