Must I notify tenant/Buyer as to why I am not returning down payment?
I was selling home RTO without a contract ( tenant refused to sign after moving in ) I had to have tenant evicted. A few weeks ago she did return possession of the home during a status conference, so now I will most likley drop the court case considering I do have possession of the home. She has asked me(not the court) for the down payment which she paid on the home back. I refused to pay the money back to her because there are extensive damages to home.
QUESTION:: I have noticed by reading on other threads that LL must notify tenant in so many days as to the reasons deposit is not being returned. Do I need to send ex-buyer/tenant a certified letter as to why I am not refunding the down payment on the home (2000 dollars) Or because it is a down payment do I owe her an explination? My husband and I are doing all repairs to the home on our own (slowly). In the end we will have OVER $2000dollars worth of damages not including many hours of our time spent into repairing the home. Thank you!