<prompt> Human: My landlord deducted 775 from my security deposit for cleaning unit, cleaning carpet, and repairing holes in wall from hanging pictures. My lease only states that he can deduct damages from my security deposit. I left nothing in the unit except for toothbrush, toothpaste, mouth wash and toilet bowl cleaner which I forgot to grab last minute and the carpets were not dirty and had no stains at all and there is only a small paint scuff by the door. The landlord told me the place was heavily damaged, needed a carpet cleaning, and I had left cosmetics on the bathroom counter, hence the charges.I called him disputing the charges and asked for an itemized list of damages and pictures which he agreed to send but did not and will no longer answer my calls or emails so I am planning on sending a letter to him and taking him to small claims court.My concern is, if the judge does decide to side with the landlord, will I be stuck paying for his travel costs or attorney fees if he hires one? I live in Florida you can hire an attorney for small claims court here and the landlord lives in New York.Additional info: I did not take picture when moving out but I do have pictures that his Realtor took at the end of our leasewe let him show our unit while we were still living there which show a clean carpet and no visible damages. I called his Realtor about the charges and she agreed that she did not see anything in the apartment that warranted those charges. The landlord sent his repairman to prepare the unit for the next tenant so either the repairman is ripping off the landlord or the landlord is greatly inflating the charges.  <response>: Typically in small claims court rach party pays for their own defense, unless theyre allowed to charge per the state. Youll need to verify with your state on this.As for travel costs, no. Thats the price of doing business. It was the landlords decision to live in another state, and now if he wants to defend himself, he can either show in person or pay a lawyer to represent them.Keep all evidence for the trial. 