Security Deposit

[quesnel45]

hi nathan,

i was a renter of a home who was evicted due to the house going into forclosure in northern california. my lease agreement stated that the security deposit would be returned within 3 weeks and it has now been 6 weeks.  the old landlord has just stated that the new property owner is responsible for returning the security deposit and they are no longer liable.  

i have read the california tenant's rights where it says that the old landlord should have notified me if they were going to transfer the security deposit to the new owner; which was not done.

what are my next steps in trying to get my money back?

thank you for your time and help.

[Eachthighearn]

Amy,

The old homeowner should have transferred it to the new owner.  My guess is that he probably didn't since he wasn't able to handle his other financial responsibilities.  If he failed to transfer it, you'll have to go after him in small claims court.  Contact your small claims court and they can give you the steps to take.  It's very simple, inexpensive, and doesn't take too long to go through the process.

Thanks for the question!

Nathan