Clear answers from a tenant rights attorney who’s seen it all.
Under Florida Statute 83.49, if your landlord intends to make no deductions, they must return your full deposit within 15 days of you vacating the property. If they intend to keep any portion of the deposit, they must send you a written notice by certified mail within 30 days. Failure to follow these timelines can mean the landlord forfeits the right to make any deductions at all.
Landlords can only deduct for actual damages beyond normal wear and tear, unpaid rent, and other amounts specifically authorized by your lease. They cannot charge you for routine cleaning, faded paint, minor carpet wear, small nail holes, or normal aging of fixtures. Every deduction must be itemized with specific amounts and reasons.
Normal wear and tear is the natural deterioration that happens during ordinary use of a rental. This includes faded or chipped paint, minor scuffs on walls, small nail holes, lightly worn carpet, worn or fading appliances, and minor dust accumulation. Damage beyond normal wear — like large stains, broken fixtures, holes in walls, or pet damage — can be deducted.
No. Florida law requires landlords to provide an itemized written notice with specific charges and reasons. Vague claims like “cleaning” or “repairs” without details are not legally sufficient. If you received a vague list, you likely have grounds to challenge the deductions.
The initial consultation is completely free. After that, we work on a contingency basis — you pay nothing upfront and nothing at all unless we recover money for you. Florida law also often requires the landlord to pay reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs when they wrongfully withhold a deposit.
Correct. Win or lose, you pay us nothing out of pocket. Our success is tied directly to yours, which is exactly why we only take cases we believe in.
Most cases resolve within 30 to 90 days after we send a formal demand letter. A surprising number of landlords pay up immediately once an attorney gets involved. If your case requires litigation, the timeline can be longer, but we keep you informed every step of the way.
Not at all. We serve tenants across all of Florida. Most communication happens by phone, email, or video, and we handle the legal heavy lifting from our office in Dania Beach. Wherever you live in the Sunshine State, we’re here for you.
Sí. We provide full bilingual representation in English and Spanish. Hablamos español — nuestro equipo está aquí para ayudarle.
Florida’s general statute of limitations for written contracts is five years, but acting quickly is critical. Evidence becomes harder to gather over time, and prompt action sends a strong message to your landlord. Don’t wait — the sooner we get involved, the stronger your case will be.
Helpful items include your signed lease agreement, move-in and move-out photos or videos, any written communication with your landlord (texts, emails, letters), the landlord’s itemized deduction list, your bank records showing rent payments, and any receipts for cleaning or repairs you performed. Don’t worry if you don’t have everything — we’ll work with what you have.
Silence is one of the most common landlord tactics — and one of the easiest to defeat. Once Hoffman Legal sends a formal demand letter, ignoring you stops being an option. If your landlord still refuses to respond, we proceed with legal action, and the law puts the burden squarely on them.
Florida law strictly prohibits landlord retaliation against tenants who exercise their legal rights. If a landlord retaliates — for example, by raising rent, refusing repairs, or threatening eviction — that itself becomes a separate legal claim. You are protected.