(St Louis, MO)
TLDR: landlord claimed i didn't pay for the last month of rent when i moved in (i did, with proof), won't return it. what can i do?
so, i'm having a bit of a dispute with a former landlord and i need to know what steps of action i can take, if anybody's ever been though something like this.
i paid first and last month's rent ($1165 each) plus a deposit ($1650) when i moved into my old apartment. i had to move out because the original landlord sold the duplex, and the new owners wanted family to live there. i had asked the new landlords if i could use my prepaid last month of rent for the month of April, to which they agreed.
fast forward to a few days ago, i texted them to ask about my deposit since i hadn't heard anything. they told me my deposit covered April's rent since they had no record of my last month being prepaid, but they offered to send me the remainder of the deposit. so i looked at my lease, and sure enough the old landlord never put any record of my payment. so i texted the old landlord and asked him for his records of it... this mf proceeded to tell me he doesn't require first and last months rent. HUH?!
i have a specifically labeled venmo payment to him titled "[address] last months rent", from the month before i moved in! PLUS texts of him asking for payment for both months when i signed the lease. he's coming up with every excuse, even saying the payment was titled "last months rent" because i was late on payment and it was for the month prior.. i didn't even live there yet. why would i be paying for april's rent if my lease started in JUNE?
anyway.. all of the proof i have includes texts from him asking for first and last months rent, the specifically titled and dated venmo payments to him, proof of every month paid since i moved in (many of the months were paid through money order and i no longer have the receipts as i threw them away when i moved, but i do have time stamped photos of the envelopes being dropped off to his PO box), and i have texts of him saying he received my payment when i sent the last month of rent before i moved in.
my questions are, would this be a small claims court deal? would my lack of money order receipts be an issue, or would the pics of them being dropped off suffice? do i need to get a lawyer or something? he's been so unprofessional during this whole ordeal, i don't think he's going to cough up my money easily.