Small Claims Court: A Tenant’s Guide [Updated]

A landlord-tenant legal dispute can arise in a variety of situations, but when it concerns money in an amount that is less $12,500 the tenant can take the landlord to small claims court. Neither the plaintiff nor the landlord can bring an attorney to small claims, so it somewhat levels the playing field compared to superior court where landlords are invariably represented by counsel. Among the most common small claims cases are those that concern a security deposit unlawful withheld. Let’s look at the small claims process and, specifically, at the example concerning the security deposit.

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