Notice of Nonrenewal
You can use this form to notify the landlord that you do
not intend on renewing the lease agreement. (Most lease
agreements require that you give the landlord 30 days
advanced notice that you do not intend to renew.) Be sure
to make a copy of this notice for your records and hand
deliver the original to the landlord (or send it certified
mail). Include your forwarding address if you know it
(without a forwarding address the landlord cannot return
your deposit).
Demand Letter to Landlord
You can use this form letter to demand the return of your
security deposit. You can send it to the manager of the
property, the management company, and even the owner of the
property. Hopefully, a landlord will be reasonable and
consider resolving your complaint without further incident.
It is certainly easier, cheaper and faster to work out a
problem without getting the courts involved. But, if the
landlord is stubborn and wants to take you for as much
money as possible you might consider filing suit in justice
court.
Lawsuit Petition for Justice Court
This form petition can be used to file suit in justice
court requesting: $100, three times the amount of the
deposit, attorney fees and court courts. Justice court has
a jurisdictional limit of $5,000 and is sometimes more
friendly to landlords because they file evictions in their
courts all the time. But, it is easier to represent
yourself in justice court, cheaper to file the suit and you
get to trial much quicker. The form comes with
instructions, but see Sue Your Landlord to learn how to file
the lawsuit and try the case in justice court.