My question involves a security deposit in the State of: Illinois
I rented a place temporarily in the city of Chicago from someone I met through an online rental site. I lived in one room of a shared apartment and left a security deposit for the amount of one months rent, that was given in the form of a certified check with "security deposit" in the "For" section.
There was no written lease between me and the landlord at the time.
After I moved out, the person I had been paying rent to returned the remainder of my deposit in the form of a personal check. The check bounced, and when I brought that to his attention, he apologized and promised to send another check soon.
It has now been several months, and I have a string of emails where he makes constant excuses for why he can't pay just yet, and I have a scanned copy of his original bounced check that says "Balance Security Deposit" in the "For" section.
Even without a lease, there is no dispute over whether or not the money owed was part of my security deposit, or even over the fact that the amount is owed to me. However, he seems reluctant to pay and our correspondence has become increasingly hostile.
What options do I have to pressure him to pay in the near future, and is this even a rental issue (since there is no lease) or just a matter of money owed (through the bounced check and email correspondence)?

