L
landlord1234
Guest
- Jurisdiction
- Washington
I am involved in a landlord/ tenant dispute (I am the landlord).
I partially refunded a security deposit to a tenant, and deducted for valid repairs. I sent the itemized list within the 21 days designated timeframe. I received a demand letter from an attorney retained by my ex-tenant asking for the full deposit back due to not having a signed inspection form prior to move in. (Note: I have a signed walkthrough letter that is signed by both parties, but no discrepancies were noted. It was up to the tenant to perform a separate walkthrough and denote any damages that we did not see upon signing the lease.) I contacted her attorney and asked to negotiate and she refused. I now received a summons dated 3/10/17 for a civil lawsuit demanding double the deposit ($3100) plus attorney's fees.
I need to have a written response within 20 days of the notice and I am seeking legal counsel/ advice. This case is not going to small claims court because she filed for civil.
So my question is this:
1.) Should I hire a lawyer to respond? can I do this myself? Is it wise to respond on my own?
2.) Does it seem like my ex-tenant has a case? She is hoping to win on a technicality that there are not discrepancies noted on a walkthrough inspection.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
I partially refunded a security deposit to a tenant, and deducted for valid repairs. I sent the itemized list within the 21 days designated timeframe. I received a demand letter from an attorney retained by my ex-tenant asking for the full deposit back due to not having a signed inspection form prior to move in. (Note: I have a signed walkthrough letter that is signed by both parties, but no discrepancies were noted. It was up to the tenant to perform a separate walkthrough and denote any damages that we did not see upon signing the lease.) I contacted her attorney and asked to negotiate and she refused. I now received a summons dated 3/10/17 for a civil lawsuit demanding double the deposit ($3100) plus attorney's fees.
I need to have a written response within 20 days of the notice and I am seeking legal counsel/ advice. This case is not going to small claims court because she filed for civil.
So my question is this:
1.) Should I hire a lawyer to respond? can I do this myself? Is it wise to respond on my own?
2.) Does it seem like my ex-tenant has a case? She is hoping to win on a technicality that there are not discrepancies noted on a walkthrough inspection.
Any help is greatly appreciated.