I moved out of an apartment in February. I was paid up on rent, terminated the lease with the consent of the landlord, and the apartment passed the landlord's inspection (no damage). However, it's six months later and the landlord is refusing to return my deposit. The last time I spoke to him, after telling me several times that it was in the mail (when it was not), he finally said he would not return it without being forced to do so.
So what's the next step? Is housing court what I want, or maybe small claims? Is there some other agency I can file a complaint with? As there isn't any question of unpaid rent or damage to the apartment, is there some way I can just have the deposit collected by some city official?
Also, if you can recommend an inexpensive but competent lawyer who can help me out in this situation, that advice would be welcome as well.