Q: Will the landlord have any ability to charge me extra fees or keep my security deposit?
I sent a certified letter to the landlord on March 4, 2020 letting them know I'm moving out at the end of April. This was well within the required 45 day notice as my lease auto renews in May (the 15th I believe) if notice is not given. He never picked up the certified letter and it was returned to me "unclaimed" yesterday. I'm livid about this and am going to send it again only regular mail. I won't know if it is received or not. I also contacted the office and spoke to the woman who answered the call on March 9 to let her know there was a certified letter waiting pick up for them at the post office. She said she would make him aware. Can he take legal action against me for not notifying him?
A: Send it by FedEx and get delivery confirmation. Nobody refuses FedEx. Anybody can sue for anything -- so landlord could sue you for breach of the lease and say it auto-renewed because you didn't give proper notice. But at the hearing, you can provide evidence of your attempts to deliver notice. Be sure to give landlord your forwarding postal address. Landlord must send your security deposit or an itemized list of any deductions within 30 days. If he doesn't, you can sue him for 2X the amount of the deposit withheld, plus your attorney fees.
Nicholas P. Weiss agrees with this answer
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