Q: Can I get deposit and rent back if apartment tested positive for lead and we haven't moved in yet?

A: Yes. Call me or another Landlord / Tenant / Civil Litigation Attorney (someone who knows how to do a trial) and we will take care of it. In this sort of case I would do a free phone consultation and or a free in person consultation and would require a flat rate of $620 to get you back the security deposit and rent. Depending on the venue r in this sort of case I would do a free phone consultation and or a free in person consultation and would require a flat rate of $620 to get you back the security deposit and rent. Depending on the venue, the Court will likely award some attorney’s Fees (Generally between $180 & $360) so you will re-coup around half of the flat rate.

First things first though you should give me a call and explain the situation more thoroughly at 914–912–1555 or via the “contact us” page of our website (AG3LAW.com). I will be happy to take as long as you need on the phone for a free consultation and regardless of whether or not you hire me the same is strictly confidential under attorney-client privilege as prescribed by law. I work all day long so the best time to reach me is generally between 9:30 PM and midnight… Otherwise I’m in the office in the afternoon but generally in Court every morning.

I can, pending a phone discussion and confirmation of certain facts, likely get both the deposits back (90% chance of success) for a flat fee of $620 (plus filing fees / service fees if good faith negotiations fail).

Back to the law on equity (synonym = fairness) this is the sort of case there is precedent for such an argument. Regardless of the real property law (though it too is on your side, assuming your pleadings are correctly drafted) and EVEN IF everything Landlord says is true you have an EQUITABLE argument I can make that the landlord was ‘unjustly enriched’. This law is the law of fairness and just taken into account in these sort of cases just as much as the actual substantive statutory law.

A bit of history, our law in the United States comes from the “Common Law” of England. Back in the day, Great Britain had two different types of civil court, courts of law and courts of equity (fairness). Although we do not have specific courts of equity in the state of New York, local courts especially small claims parts generally all follow binding case law that states “not only should equitable arguments be permitted, but due to binding case law, they should be entertained with equal weight as arguments of statutory law...further...if the two provide different outcomes, the court will rule “in the interest of fairness and justice (Ie: an ‘equitable’ ruling).

Text me “legal inquiry” to 9149121555 and I’ll call u right back for free consult; don’t let her steal your money.