Foreclosure Question — landlord keeping entire security deposit

Looking for advice on a legal issue. Here's what happened.

landlord keeping entire security deposit. I've been dealing with this for about 9 months now and the situation isn't improving.

I have been renting for 5 years. My monthly rent is $1,199. I have a written lease.

What are the risks if I pursue this? What's the likely timeline?

Been there. Here's what I learned.

I ended up having everything documented, which cost about $3-6 but saved me a lot more in the long run.

I practice in this area. Here's my take on the legal issues.

There are several legal theories that could apply here. The strongest is probably the implied warranty of habitability, which requires showing uninhabitable.

Before taking legal action, consider sending a formal demand letter. In many cases, this alone resolves the issue.

I work in this industry and unfortunately this is very common. The good news is that when people actually push back with legal representation, companies usually settle.

I've dealt with this before.

What worked for me was hiring an attorney to send the initial letter. It took 2-4 months but was worth it.

I've seen this play out several times in my field.

What worked for me was having everything documented. It took 3-6 months but was worth it.