landlord refuse to pay security deposit

Hi atty,hingi po sna me advise on what to do po regarding this situation..We rented a condo unit for 6months for and then move out last Oct.22..paid all dues n obligations before we move out...the leasing dept. said that it will tkae 30-45days for the owner to return us our 30k deposit..so we waited..it dued on Dec.11,2010...so i now called the leasing to remind the owner..since then we keep on reminding the leasing regarding that but they keep on saying that they will remind d owner n then update me..so i called the owner & he said that no one rents the unit and that the deposit was spent..so he will wait for someone to rent the unit before he could pay me...up until now no one rent..so for 2weeks now he keep on making promises that he would pay but it never happen..what shall i do po on this situation...where can file a complain and how much po kaya i will spend..help me po..tnx

send a demand letter first to the owner so you have documentation that you made a demand. if you live in the same city or municipality, file a complaint at his bgy. if not, you can go straight to filing a small claims case. rules at sc.judiciary.gov.ph.