Bad idea. 90% of ‘do it yourself’ tenants lose.
Your chances of winning ‘Pro se’ (representing yourself) in small claims court is less than 10%. Most are lost due to not following proper judicial procedure. If you have enough personal and work time to do all the research, all the paperwork, write and send the demand letter by certified mail, pay all the up-front costs, and make all the court dates, there is still over a 90% chance you will lose due to some technicality or procedural error. This is the reality of trying to do this yourself.
Just remember, your landlord will have an attorney and you will most likely lose for failure to comply with procedural rules or on a technicality that you had no knowledge of. Then your money is gone and so is your time.
You’re going to need help, but…
Most attorneys rarely take these types of cases on contingency. Most attorneys will charge at least $500.00 to write a single demand letter. If it needs to go to court, it’s not worth the money and you have wasted the money you spent on the letter.
Security Deposit Watchdog is here to help you and your family get your deposit money back. Thanks to donations, grants, and volunteers, our rates are the lowest you will find anywhere in the United States.
Don’t go it alone, our organization is here to help you.
Since 2010, we have recovered thousands of security deposits in every state in the country. Our 95% success rate and the fact that we are subsidized so you pay little, or in some cases, pay nothing for our service, has been a great benefit for many people just like you who have nowhere to turn to get help. With us on your side, we resolve matters quickly. Often just phone call from one of our case managers alerting the landlord to the trouble they are creating for themselves is all it takes. In fact, most deposits are returned within 3 weeks.
Our organization works in direct cooperation with state, federal and local agencies, including law enforcement, courts, HUD, Consumer Protection Agencies, Department of Consumer Affairs (in every state), Legal Aid, Tenant Associations, and many more.
