My question involves a security deposit in the State of: California
Basically, I saw an ad on craigslist for an apartment in Los Angeles for $1300/month. The ad was put up by a girl who wanted to sublet her apartment for a few months, not a landlord. She did this because she didn't want to lose her apartment and needed someone to take over a few months rent. A lot of people were interested, but I gave her a security deposit of $1300 to "hold" it for me. She wanted the security deposit and first month's rent up front (a total of $2600) and I told her I would write her a check for the rest. Unfortunately, I am unable to write her the check and pay the final amount because my identity was stolen and I had to close all my accounts and wouldn't be able to give her a check on time.
I was going to move in on September 22 we agreed that I would add an extra $500 to the check to cover the cost for the rest of the month. So now she is saying since I have caused her so much trouble she is going to keep $500 of the $1300 I gave her to cover the rest of the month and only give me $800 back. Does she have the right to do this? I never signed anything, filled out any forms, or took over her lease. It was only verbal agreement and emails. There were so many people interested in her apartment and I know she would have no trouble finding someone else to sublet it to, but she still wants to keep $500.

