My landlord won't return my money

[campbell7]

About a month ago I moved to New Orleans. Found an apartment. Singed a lease. Paid 1st and Security deposit. $1900 total. The day after signing it and moving some of my things in, there was a major leak in a pipe. A plumber came, ripped a huge hole in the bathroom wall. And a tremendous, unbearable stench came wafting through. It was like that for a week and couldn't get my landlord to address it. The smell was keeping me from being able to sleep, eat and live there. After about a week of that, the place got broken into as I was coming home. It was some 17 year old kid was going through my stuff. Another tenant of a different unit said that my place periodiclly got burgularized. I called my landlord and told him that I give up and I just want my money back. And that my time trying to live there did not postpone anybody from moving in, because the conditions were unlivable. He said he would reimburrse me. I'm now in Seattle due to a recent turn of events and am calling the landlord continuously. It's now been a month. He's not returning my calls. What recourse do I have?

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

Your recourse is to consider suing your landlord.

Such lawsuits are typically handled in Small Claims Court.

This would mean you have to file (and show up for court) back in New Orleans and argue that not only was the place unliveable but that the landlord refused to address the issue of the leak. Your landlord will likely argue that the leak was addressed and that you did not give him/her enough time to complete the job (a landlord will often have a month to address a non-emergency repair).

Unfortunately the landlord has no control over a 17 year old kid breaking into the rental unit.

At any rate, you need to decide whether the time and expense of filing and attending court so far away from your current residence is worth it. If the judgement is in your favor court costs are added to the judgement but not your time and expense of traveling to court.

And, unfortunately, winning a judgement in court often does not guarantee that you'll ever see a penny of this money.

Gail