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That Cost of Moving Series I started? Yeah, it’s about to get even higher. Over the weekend, I said my last goodbye to the red door.

After going rounds with my landlord about the heat situation, quoting the state Landlord/Tenant Laws, and him coming at me with a lawyer that turned out to be fake – I ended up hiring a lawyer of my own and moved out. Below, the costs associated with this:

• $30: I bought a space heater of my own to see if it would heat up any better than the two he gave me. It did not.
• $100: consult with a lawyer, who finds all kinds of crazy things that I missed on all of my reads of the lease. He sends scumlord a letter notifying that I expect the full return of my $775 deposit plus attorney fees, and that we will take it to court if he does not follow through in a timely manner. (This was sent last Wednesday, and I have not heard from him since.)
• $80: truck rental to move my (few) pieces of furniture
• $50: deposit on a new place. I initially meet the housemates, two girls who seem fairly normal. When I go back to pay the deposit, I discover that one girl moved out and meet the new guy who is coming in who was just discharged from a long stay in a psychiatric ward. I choose not to live here. (Still waiting to see if that will be refunded, but I’m doubting it.)
• $500: I finally just move in with a friend! I’m loving it. She’s letting me stay for $500 including rent and utilities.

In my research I found that the house was zoned for a single-family only and that I couldn’t even take out renter’s insurance since it wasn’t a legal apartment. I’m just waiting to see about my deposit. To be honest, I do need it badly since I feel like I’ve been bleeding money – hoarding it for the move, paying bills, dental emergencies, and making trips to and from Ohio.  I hate that I feel like I’m living paycheck to paycheck – moving here and taking this job was NOT supposed to make me feel like this. Even when I was horribly under-employed and working part time, driving an hour to work for shifts from my parents house I didn’t feel like that was the case. All I can do in the meantime is unpack and settle in to my new place, where she will hopefully let me stay for an extended length. I’m not sure I can handle a sixth move in one year – especially when I don’t hope to even stay anywhere without D for too much longer.

Any tips on dealing with unscrupulous landlords or getting back your deposit?