Your landlord kept your deposit? Our office sits right on the Hollywood line in Dania Beach — and we fight for South Broward renters with no fees unless we win.
Hoffman Legal’s office in Dania Beach borders Hollywood — we’re minutes from Young Circle, Hollywood Boulevard, and the Broadwalk. No firm is closer to Hollywood renters, and few know its rental stock better: the mid-century apartments of Hollywood Lakes, the garden complexes off Sheridan Street and Taft, the condos lining the beach, and the single-family rentals of Hollywood Hills and Emerald Hills.
That local footing matters in a deposit fight. We know the property managers who operate along the A1A corridor, the seasonal-rental owners who confuse vacation rules with residential law, and the way South Broward deposit cases actually get resolved. When a Hollywood landlord withholds your money, the response from a firm around the corner lands differently than a letter from across the state.
The law we enforce is Florida Statute 83.49: 15 days to return your deposit in full, or 30 days to justify any deduction by certified mail (or agreed-upon email) — itemized, specific, and on time. Anything less, and the landlord forfeits the claim.
Hollywood’s rental market mixes long-term neighborhood leases with a heavy seasonal and condo segment near the beach. That mix produces predictable disputes: condo owners who blame departing tenants for building-mandated maintenance, seasonal landlords who assume short leases exempt them from the statute, and aging buildings where owners try to pass decades of deferred maintenance off as “tenant damage” at move-out.
None of those moves survive contact with Florida law. A residential tenancy — seasonal or annual, condo or house — is covered by Statute 83.49. Pre-existing wear in a 1960s building is not tenant damage. And a condo association’s repaint schedule is never a tenant’s bill. We’ve seen every version of these deductions, and we know how to dismantle them.
Here’s how Florida’s statewide deposit rules apply to Hollywood renters — and why our location gives you an edge.
A Hollywood landlord making no deductions owes your full deposit within 15 days of move-out. To keep any part of it, they must mail an itemized claim by certified mail (or agreed-upon email) within 30 days.
Hollywood deposit disputes are filed in the Broward County Court — and many South Broward cases are handled at the South Regional Courthouse right on Hollywood Boulevard. Claims of $8,000 or less go through small claims.
Blow the 30-day notice deadline or send a vague list of deductions, and Florida law strips the landlord of any claim against your deposit — full stop.
Prevailing tenants generally recover reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs from the landlord under Florida law — the reason we can take strong Hollywood cases at no cost to you.
Call or write — we’re minutes away. We review your lease, move-out, and any deduction notice free, and tell you straight whether you have a claim.
We compile photos, texts, receipts, and payment records, and identify precisely where your landlord broke Statute 83.49.
We send a demand letter that Hollywood landlords and beachside property managers take seriously — from a firm they know is around the corner. Most cases settle here.
If they won’t pay, we’re ready to file — the South Regional Courthouse is on Hollywood Boulevard, and the main Broward courthouse is a short drive north.
You pay nothing unless we win. The consultation is always free.
Our office borders Hollywood — stop by in person, or handle everything by phone. Your choice.
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 gives a Hollywood landlord 15 days to return your full deposit if they take no deductions, or 30 days to send a written, itemized claim by certified mail (or agreed-upon email) if they want to keep any portion. Miss either window and the landlord forfeits the right to your deposit.
In the Broward County Court. Many South Broward matters are handled at the South Regional Courthouse on Hollywood Boulevard, with the main courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Claims of $8,000 or less go through the small claims division — though most of our cases settle before filing.
Yes. Statute 83.49 covers residential tenancies regardless of length, including seasonal leases. Seasonal landlords along the Broadwalk and A1A often assume short-term means no rules — then miss the 30-day notice deadline entirely, forfeiting whatever claim they might have had.
Not for age or normal deterioration. Worn 1960s-era flooring, tired paint, and aging fixtures are ordinary wear and tear and deferred maintenance — the owner’s responsibility, never yours. A landlord can only charge for damage you actually caused beyond normal use, documented in a timely itemized notice.
All of it — Hallandale Beach, Dania Beach, West Park, Pembroke Park, Miramar, and Pembroke Pines included. We’re based in the middle of South Broward, so wherever your rental was, we’re the firm next door.
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.
Hoffman Legal represents tenants across Florida. Explore nearby service areas, or start with one of our plain-English legal guides: