Hired a flat fee tenant lawyer in Long Beach for $350 instead of paying my old attorney $275 an hour
My landlord in Long Beach kept my $1,800 deposit back in March and claimed the place needed new paint and carpet, which was normal wear after living there four years. My first attorney billed me $275 an hour and just kept sending letters, and after six weeks and $1,100 I was right where I started. A friend pointed me to a tenant lawyer off Pine Ave who charged one flat $350 fee and handled the whole demand letter plus small claims filing. She cited Civil Code 1950.5 in her first letter, the landlord got served on a Tuesday, and I had a check for $1,450 in my mailbox 19 days later. The hourly guy wanted to drag it out because every call was money for him, but the flat fee person just wanted it done and off her desk. Has anyone else gone the flat fee route for a deposit fight, or did small claims on your own actually work out cheaper?