(Posting for my roommate)

A little less than a year ago I moved out of an apartment. Upon leaving the apartment, my landlord told me that she could not return my security deposit because she had to have some repairs made to the hallway (a few scrapes and nicks in the wall, nothing more than 2 inches long or more than an 1/8 of an inch deep).

I made a few visits to her place over the next few months giving her my phone # multiple times and my new address. I lost her phone #, but as I knew her address I sent her another letter once I moved informing her of my new address. I know she received the letter because she forwarded me some tax info that had been sent to her address. I figured that a refund check was also on the way. It was around this time I lost her # and got very busy.

Fast forward to about a month ago, I finally very much require that she returns my security deposit. After calling her multiple times over a three weeks period, always leaving a message or being told to call back at a more convenient time, yesterday she informed me that she would only be returning $300 of my $1200 deposit. When I asked why, she informed me that between me and the next tenant she had to have the walls patched up and repainted, despite the next tenant being partially responsible.

She is trying to charge me for the full amount of this patching as well as having her entire three story hallway repainted. I feel that this is an injustice and now I realize it has been almost a year and I feel that my time to file a small claims suit is rapidly dwindling. I just wanted to know if I should try and resolve this with her or give up and file a claim. I am not that wealthy and am weary of a long extensive court battle.

Small claims is the best remedy if all other methods have failed.