Landlord Reminder for Security Deposit Interest in New Jersey.

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I moved out of my residence of 3 years in Hoboken on 1/2/09.  My lease had expired after one year but they suggested a month to month which was fine. I gave my landlord notice in November that I would be leaving but that my roommate, Jay, would stay and asked what he wanted to do w/ regard to the deposit.  I told him it would be ok with me if my roommate just reimbursed the amount but that I wanted to know the total in case the escrow account had accrued interest. He told me he would notify myself and Jay of the amount when the time came. After I left the landlord left me a message about a fine for excessive trash left outside the building. Then Jay called me to tell me that the landlord had sent him a letter with a smudged copy of the ticket and a photo of a bed left outside.  I left the landlord 7 messages over the period of two weeks and only heard from him yesterday.  I told him that the bed never belonged to me and that I had a list from the movers of all of the items that were moved from my apartment.  He told me he was deducting the amount from my deposit because an unnamed witness saw me place the bed outside. I am 2 5’2” 115 lb girl! I couldn’t have carried a whole bed!

I told him I wanted my money and that I didn’t want to have to contact a lawyer about it.  He said whatever I did, he would do worse. He said he would contact the Credit Bureau and say that my rent was always late, that I was a bad tenant who broke things in the building and that everyone in the building complained about me.  I told him that was ridiculous b/c if it were true he would not have kept me in the building for three years! He told me to go ahead and call the judge? (there is an occasional language barrier) and then he hung up on me.

What do I do?