No, I hear what you’re saying, no worries. Yes, the landlord is mailing our deposit back to us ASAP, in addition to the current tenant’s “settlement” check. My wife and I are both unhappy about it, especially my wife, who adored the house, but honestly, what else can I do? As I told her, it’s a zero-sum game; even if we press charges and somehow get the eviction fast-tracked before Feb. 1, do we really want to live in a house where some guy had to vacate his family, including his young daughter, change schools, etc.? Or do we want to live with that ourselves?
To me, the fact that the landlord is starting the eviction process, we’re getting paid, and the current tenant knows he screwed up, is enough for me. I don’t need to annihilate him to feel retribution. He really doesn’t have to pay us anything; he could just as easily say “See you in court”, and then where does that get us?
Of course, all this goes out the window if we can’t find another place. 