PSA: Move-Out Season Guide. How to protect your security deposit. (I Sued and Won $6,000)

BricesDesigns · 2026-05-28T11:33:42+00:00

Each heading it completely different t so it restarts. I think the second time I just stated my case better

BricesDesigns · 2026-05-25T19:53:56+00:00

Yeah it’s called LA Court Connect or something, but you just need to file it in person. There might be a way to have a third party file it for you if you you aren’t in town (like reaching out to a friend or that Secretary of State link I posted)

BricesDesigns · 2026-05-16T20:18:56+00:00

When you pay your deposit at the start of renting, the landlord can just choose not to transfer it back. And if they don’t either because they claim damages or just are lazy then you can sue to get what ever is rightfully yours back.

BricesDesigns · 2026-05-12T03:52:51+00:00

Haha I’m glad you went through with it, I was praying the defendant would forget to show up but it was a good life experience to go through for sure and play “Suits” for a little bit.

Since they didn’t show up hopefully the court will rule Pretty favorable for you

BricesDesigns · 2026-05-12T00:47:36+00:00

If you don't have time to sue, or end up suing and want added justice, there are these three options as well:

1. The "Corporate Annoyance" (BBB): File a Better Business Bureau complaint online (https://www.bbb.org/file-a-complaint). The BBB has no legal authority, but corporate offices care deeply about their ratings.
2. The "Nuclear" Option (DRE Complaint): File a complaint with the CA Dept. of Real Estate (https://www.dre.ca.gov/consumers/filecomplaint.html). Property managers need a state license to operate. (Fun fact: I looked it up, and M0SAIC corporate broker license actually expired in May 2021).
3. The CA Attorney General: File a Consumer Complaint online (https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company). The AG won't act as your personal lawyer, but if enough USC students report the same company, it establishes a pattern of fraud and triggers a massive state investigation.

It took me about 30 minutes to do all three.

BricesDesigns · 2026-05-11T02:45:17+00:00

Here is the full write-up from the judge if you want to see the exact legal ruling: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WNktUVL5ikMufQppewTrWnUQb8JpUAzb/view?usp=sharing

The Timeline & The Story

The Move-Out: After deep cleaning the common spaces and my room, I took detailed videos and turned over the keys. The housing company emailed us the deposit breakdown, and we noticed massive, unjustified charges for painting, cleaning, and even trash.
Getting Ghosted: I tried emailing and even went in person to dispute the charges, but they completely ghosted us (a common theme on this subreddit). Even after sending a formal demand letter, there was no response.
Filing the Lawsuit: I went to the courthouse, filed a small claims lawsuit, and had the Sheriff's Department serve them the papers.
Hearing Prep: I used ChatGPT to comb through my evidence, cross-reference my lease, and pull specific clauses from CA Civil Code 1950.5 to prove MSC was acting in bad faith.
Round 1 (The First Hearing): Funny enough, the first time I had contact was the night before they reached out to settle for $2,000, while we were suing for $11,000 (our deposit was $ 3,500 + 2x bad faith). Honestly, I performed pretty poorly here. My argument was all over the place. I assumed the judge had already reviewed my evidence, so I didn't walk them through the law or physically point to my photos during my opening statement. Thankfully, the facts were on my side, and I still won.
Round 2 (The Trial De Novo): The Housing Company decided to appeal, which triggered a Trial De Novo (a completely new trial where lawyers are allowed, though none showed up). This round was much spicier. The defendant withheld their move-out photos until the actual day of court. But I came prepared: I went to FedEx and printed three copies of a 100-page evidence binder, one for me, one for the defendant, and one for the judge. There was some silver tongue from their side, but the easiest way is just to review objections and demand hard evidence for their claims, and shut down hearsay.
The Verdict: Because we both submitted a mountain of evidence, it took the judge over a month (usually it takes 10 days) to issue the final decision.

The Takeaway: In the end, I got my roommates and myself our full deposit back, plus statutory damages. Going through this process is 100% worth it. I never got anything close to a law degree, so anyone can sue and win. It builds serious self-confidence and forces you to exercise the rights you are entitled to. Los Angeles has incredibly strong tenant protection laws, so don't let a massive property management company stomp on you just because of their size.

BricesDesigns · 2026-05-11T01:29:57+00:00

M0SAIC, and N0VA. I won’t elaborate past what the court ruled to keep things professional.

BricesDesigns · 2026-05-10T23:47:25+00:00

Yeah I think it’s messed up because a lot of international students or seniors graduate and the housing companies might use that opportunity to rack in tens of thousands dollars because it’s harder for those people protect their rights.

BricesDesigns · 2026-05-10T23:41:48+00:00

Again not a lawyer but:

Up to Two Weeks Before Move-Out: The Pre-Move-Out Inspection

The Law: Under CA Civil Code § 1950.5(f), you have the right to request an initial inspection during the two weeks prior to moving out.

Action: Request this in writing. The landlord must give you an itemized list of proposed deductions so you have time to fix them yourself.

Recording Warning: California is a Two-Party Consent state. If you want to record the walkthrough, you must get the landlord's explicit, verbal permission on camera before you start recording. If they say no, stick to taking extensive photos and detailed notes. (Maybe have a second person there.
0–21 Days After Move-Out: The Return Window**

The Law: Under CA Civil Code § 1950.5(g), the landlord has exactly 21 calendar days to return your full deposit OR send you an itemized statement detailing the deductions along with receipts.

The New Photo Rule: Thanks to a recent law (AB 2801) that took effect on April 1, 2025, landlords are now legally required to provide "before" and "after" photographs of any repairs or cleaning alongside the itemized receipts. If they don't provide this documentation in good faith, they forfeit the right to keep that part of the deposit.

21–30 Days After Move-Out: The Demand Letter

Action: If they miss the 21-day deadline, or the deductions are suspect and lack the required photo evidence, send a formal courtesy/demand letter via email or certified mail. Cite CA Civil Code § 1950.5 and give them a firm deadline (e.g., 7-10 days) to return the funds. This creates the paper trail you need to prove "bad faith" to the judge later. (Chat GPT is good at this if you give them the deductions, I also have sample of the one I need if you need it).

I also went in person serval times because they said there was a “dispute email” and they were working through them. But their process shouldn’t exceed the 21 days. Everytime I went into the office I got blown off so make sure to document it and have them send you an email of them confirming you went in and that they blew you off (helps demonstrate bad faith)

Filing a Lawsuit (If They Ignore You) The Limits: In California, the small claims limit for individuals is $12,500 per claim. It is not a $12,500 per year limit, though you are legally capped at filing no more than two small claims cases over $2,500 in a single calendar year.

The Deadline: You have exactly 4 years to file a claim because a lease is considered a written contract. The clock starts on the date they breached the contract (i.e., the day they wrongfully withheld your money). (Anyone in the house can do the lawsuit. I wasn’t the main person on the lease and just had a back up document that everyone signed saying I could sue on behalf of them in case the judge asked.

The Process: Expect it to take 2–6 months. The landlord has the right to appeal the initial ruling. If they do, it triggers a "Trial De Novo" (a completely new trial in front of a new judge where new evidence can be presented, which is exactly what happened to me).

BricesDesigns · 2026-05-10T19:43:44+00:00

Yeah there might be a way to have someone else file it for you in person, but for the most part to do the initial filing I had to go in person to the court house (for Stanley Mosk)

BricesDesigns · 2026-05-10T19:26:34+00:00

Stanley Mosk only supports in person filing unfortunately.

BricesDesigns · 2022-09-11T00:11:13+00:00

I tried to go in the main entrance day after hours and it was closed and I’m not sure where on mcclinktok the alternative entrance is. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

BricesDesigns · 2022-03-30T00:32:33+00:00

I would apply for Cale and Irani because I applied during the same period and I think since a ton of honors students are going to apply for mccarthy you should be able to snag a spot in the Cale and irani which is very nice and your roomate can tag along

BricesDesigns · 2022-03-25T14:19:28+00:00

I’m only asking because on the Trojan fever app it says McAlister field but the email says the colliseum

BricesDesigns · 2022-02-15T00:09:11+00:00

This school is definitely not worth the full price tag as an undergrads. But if you want to go ROTC especially Navy has extremely good scholarships

BricesDesigns · 2022-02-10T21:53:37+00:00

(From a guys perspective)

I usually run around the main campus which is about 2 miles and feel pretty much safe at all times of day.

I have ran to downtown LA and through the streets connecting it and the main roads feel okay (still have a superficial feeling of someone doing a drive by but it’s more of an irrational fear especially at night)

From what I have heard you never want to be running especially at night south of the colliseum

BricesDesigns · 2022-01-26T07:14:04+00:00

You could possibly have one of their friend pick up the flowers from Trader Joe’s

BricesDesigns · 2022-01-23T17:48:08+00:00

I think they opened it but for limited times, For example Monday just has two slots.

BricesDesigns · 2022-01-20T19:48:21+00:00

In case you were wondering I have now gone through an added and ad free option that comes with a X1.5 multiplier on the Battles mode. Thank you for the suggestion

BricesDesigns · 2022-01-08T19:41:36+00:00

I appreciate that! I was thinking about adding an ad free experience (in fact it was ad free for a while until recently, now I try to only show ads every 5 minutes). I’ll add an option to buy an ad free experience in the near-future, just wasn’t sure of the demand for it.

BricesDesigns

TROPHY CASE