Boca deposits are some of the largest in Florida — and so are the wrongful deductions. If your landlord kept your money, we fight to get it back. No fees unless we win.
Boca Raton rents rank among the highest in Florida, and deposits scale with them. First, last, and security on a rental east of Federal Highway or in a gated community off Yamato Road can easily exceed $10,000 — real money that some landlords treat as a bonus when the lease ends. A wrongful deduction that might be $800 elsewhere is often several thousand dollars in Boca.
Hoffman Legal represents tenants across Boca Raton and South Palm Beach County — Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Deerfield Beach, and Highland Beach included — from our office forty minutes south in Dania Beach. Every case can be handled by phone, email, and video, and every case runs on the same statute: Florida Statute 83.49.
Luxury buildings and country-club communities often project an air of procedural authority — official-looking move-out inspections, professional deduction summaries, management-company letterhead. Strip the polish away and the legal question is unchanged: did they mail a specific, itemized claim by certified mail (or agreed-upon email) within 30 days, and do the charges reflect actual damage rather than ordinary wear? Remarkably often, the answer is no.
Boca’s market has three deposit flashpoints. Luxury rentals, where managers deduct for “professional” cleaning, painting, and refinishing at premium prices regardless of the unit’s condition. Student rentals around Florida Atlantic University, where landlords bank on undergraduates — and their out-of-state parents — not knowing Florida’s deadlines. And seasonal leases, where owners assume a six-month tenancy sits outside the statute. All three assumptions are wrong.
The statute doesn’t price-adjust for zip code 33432. A $15,000 deposit follows the same rules as a $1,500 one: fifteen days to return it untouched, thirty days to justify any deduction by certified mail (or agreed-upon email), no charges for ordinary wear and tear, and forfeiture when the landlord gets it wrong. With Boca-sized deposits, that forfeiture rule has real teeth — and prevailing tenants generally recover their attorney’s fees on top.
Here is how Florida’s deposit statute applies to Boca Raton tenancies — from Mizner Park high-rises to FAU-area rentals.
A Boca Raton landlord taking no deductions must return your full deposit within 15 days of move-out. Keeping any portion requires an itemized claim sent by certified mail (or agreed-upon email) within 30 days.
Boca Raton disputes are filed in the Palm Beach County Court — typically at the South County Courthouse in nearby Delray Beach. Claims of $8,000 or less proceed through the small claims division.
Miss the 30-day notice window, or send a vague deduction summary, and Florida law forfeits the landlord’s claim — no matter how official the letterhead looks.
Prevailing tenants generally recover reasonable attorney’s fees and costs from the landlord under Florida law. On Boca-sized deposits, that changes the landlord’s math fast.
Tell us what happened. We review your lease, inspection reports, and any deduction letter — free — and tell you what your claim is really worth.
We assemble photos, texts, receipts, and payment records, and measure every deduction against what Statute 83.49 actually permits.
We issue a formal demand letter that Boca property managers and owners take seriously. Most cases — even large ones — settle at this stage.
If the landlord won’t pay, we’re prepared to file at the South County Courthouse in Delray Beach and pursue every dollar, plus fees.
You pay nothing unless we win. The consultation is always free.
Handle everything by phone, email, or video — efficient, confidential, and on your schedule.
Speak with a real attorney, not a call center — day or night.
Full representation in English or Spanish — your choice, at no extra cost.
Florida Statute 83.49 requires return of the full deposit within 15 days of move-out if no deductions are taken. To keep any portion, the landlord must send a written, itemized claim by certified mail (or agreed-upon email) within 30 days. Missing either deadline forfeits the claim — regardless of the deposit’s size.
Absolutely. Claims up to $8,000 go through small claims; larger deposits — common in Boca Raton — proceed through the county court’s standard civil track, and Florida’s five-year statute of limitations on written leases applies either way. Larger deposits usually justify the stronger track, and prevailing tenants generally recover attorney’s fees.
Usually not. Routine cleaning and repainting between tenants are ordinary turnover costs, not tenant damage — even in a luxury building, and even at luxury prices. Unless you caused genuine damage beyond normal use and the landlord claimed it in a timely, properly delivered itemized notice, those charges don’t survive scrutiny.
Yes. Student tenants hold full rights under Statute 83.49, and a parent who paid or guaranteed the deposit has a direct financial stake. Student-area landlords count on tenants leaving town and letting it go — a demand letter usually disabuses them quickly.
In the Palm Beach County Court, most often at the South County Courthouse in Delray Beach for Boca-area matters. Small claims of $8,000 or less use the simplified division. As elsewhere, the majority of our cases resolve on demand, before any courtroom is involved.
A note on how deposit notices may be delivered: since July 1, 2025, a Florida landlord may deliver the deduction notice by email instead of certified mail — but only when landlord and tenant have both signed the electronic-delivery addendum described in Florida Statute 83.505. A landlord who misses the notice deadline forfeits the right to keep your deposit, although the law still allows a separate damages lawsuit after the deposit is returned.
Sources: Fla. Stat. § 83.49 — security deposits • Fla. Stat. § 83.505 — electronic delivery of notices
This page provides general information about Florida law, not legal advice for your specific situation, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your case, contact us for a free consultation.
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