From Jupiter to Boca Raton, from the coast to the Glades — one law protects every Palm Beach County renter’s deposit, and we enforce it. No fees unless we win.
Palm Beach County spans nearly forty municipalities — West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Greenacres, Riviera Beach, and dozens more. Rental terms vary wildly across that map, but the law governing your security deposit never changes: Florida Statute 83.49 applies identically in a Jupiter townhome, a Lake Worth Beach cottage, and a Wellington equestrian-community rental.
Hoffman Legal represents tenants throughout the county. We handle everything remotely — phone, email, video — which means a renter in Belle Glade gets the same responsive representation as one two blocks from the courthouse in West Palm Beach.
The county’s size cuts both ways for landlords. Larger management companies operate portfolios across multiple cities and repeat the same deduction playbook in each — which means once we’ve dismantled their template letter for one client, we recognize it instantly for the next.
Few Florida counties cover a wider rental spectrum: oceanfront luxury in Manalapan and Palm Beach, dense workforce housing in Lake Worth Beach and Greenacres, sprawling HOA communities in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, and agricultural-area rentals out west in Belle Glade and Pahokee. Deposit disputes look different in each — premium “restoration” charges on the coast, silence and no-notice withholding inland — but the statutory analysis is always the same.
Fifteen days to return the deposit in full. Thirty days to claim any deduction by certified mail (or agreed-upon email), itemized and specific. No deductions for ordinary wear and tear. Forfeiture when the landlord fails — and attorney’s fees to the prevailing tenant. Whether your landlord is a Palm Beach trust or a Pahokee individual, that checklist decides the case.
The rules are statewide; here’s how they operate across Palm Beach County’s courts and communities.
Anywhere in the county — Jupiter to Boca — a landlord taking no deductions owes your full deposit within 15 days. Any deduction requires an itemized claim — by certified mail (or agreed-upon email) or agreed-upon email — within 30 days.
Palm Beach County Court hears deposit cases at the Main Courthouse in West Palm Beach and branch courthouses in Delray Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, and Belle Glade. Claims of $8,000 or less go through small claims.
A landlord who misses the 30-day notice deadline — or mails a vague, lump-sum claim — forfeits the right to keep any of your deposit under Florida law.
When tenants prevail, Florida law generally shifts reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs onto the landlord — the engine behind our no-fee-unless-we-win promise.
Tell us what happened, from anywhere in the county. We review your lease and any deduction notice free of charge and map out your claim.
We gather photos, texts, receipts, and payment records, and pin each deduction against the statute’s requirements.
We send a formal demand letter that county management companies recognize. Most Palm Beach County cases settle at this step.
If not, we file in the appropriate county courthouse — West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, or Belle Glade — and pursue everything you’re owed.
You pay nothing unless we win. The consultation is always free.
Coast to Glades, we represent renters in every Palm Beach County city and town — entirely by phone if you prefer.
Speak with a real attorney, not a call center — day or night.
Full representation in English or Spanish — your choice, at no extra cost.
The same as everywhere in Florida under Statute 83.49: 15 days to return the full deposit when no deductions are taken, or 30 days to send a written, itemized claim by certified mail (or agreed-upon email). A landlord who does neither forfeits the claim and owes the full deposit back.
Palm Beach County Court operates the Main Courthouse in West Palm Beach plus branch courthouses in Delray Beach (South County), Palm Beach Gardens (North County), and Belle Glade (West County). Filing location follows where the rental sits — we handle that detail, and most cases settle before filing anyway.
No. Florida Statute 83.49 is state law — no municipality can weaken it. The identical deadlines, wear-and-tear protections, and forfeiture rules apply in every one of the county’s nearly forty municipalities and in unincorporated areas alike.
Silence is the cleanest violation there is. With no proper notice inside 30 days, the landlord has legally forfeited any right to your deposit — whatever the unit’s condition. A demand letter citing the missed deadline, followed by suit if needed, recovers these cases reliably.
Florida allows up to five years on claims arising from a written lease, and if the landlord sent a timely itemized notice you have 15 days to object in writing. Older disputes are often still viable — but records fade, so the sooner you call, the stronger the file.
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: