Landlord Question and Answer Forum

Forum / State Landlord Tenant Law / justice court
My tenant breached the lease and I retained his security deposit. The property is in Texas, but I live in Mayland.The tenant sued in justice court, can my property manager (authorizated agent) appear on our behalf to present our explanation or are we required to employ and attorney? Thanks.
richard m, TX on Sunday, November 18, 2012
RE: justice court
Although it is not necessary to have an attorney in justice court, the tenant will be at a disadvantage if the landlord has an attorney. It is not impossible for the tenant to win, though, if the tenant has evidence and witnesses as indicated above. If the tenant decides to hire an attorney and wins the suit, the court can also award attorney’s fees if the landlord acted in bad faith or the lease provides for attorney’s fees to the prevailing party. If unsure, the tenant can always obtain legal advice from an attorney before pursuing the matter. Keep in mind that the judge will not treat a case differently because someone is or is not represented by an attorney.
Posted by Luis M, NJ on Monday, November 19, 2012
Documents related to this forum

California Lease Agreement with ezSign

Rental Agreement (Month-to-Month) with ezSign

Residential Lease Agreement with ezSign

California AB 1482 Rent Control & Eviction Exemption Form

Highest Rated Discussions
Author: ann s, AL
Updated: 03/22/2016
Rating: Star0Star1Star2Star3Star4
Author: Delisea P, AL
Updated: 03/03/2016
Rating: Star0Star1Star2Star3Star4
Author: Kate S, NV
Updated: 09/03/2011
Rating: Star0Star1Star2Star3Star4
Author: Tina S, LA
Updated: 01/11/2017
Rating: Star0Star1Star2Star3Star4
Author: Sheila A, AZ
Updated: 07/23/2015
Rating: Star0Star1Star2Star3Star4

The forum is completely free to anyone! If you wish to post a message, you must log in. If you are not registered already, Join today to create a free account!
Any comments and opinions that are expressed by the users of this forum are solely those of the authors, and have not been reviewed or approved by ezLandlordForms.

Satisfaction
Guaranteed

Money Back Guaranteed
Trusted by Over
300,000 Property
Managers, Realtors,
Attorneys, and Landlords
since 2006!
More Info

Feature Spotlight: State-Specific Leases

Our exclusive State Assist technology goes a long way to help ensure your lease meets your states legal requirements. The ezLandlordForms team includes expert attorneys in all 50 states who work together to stay on top of regulatory changes, helping to ensure that your forms reflect all current legal requirements.

FEATURED ON

fox-business-logo CBS-Radio-logo MSNBC-logo CNN-Money-logo Wall-Street-Journal-logo
Copyright © 2006-2026, ezLandlord, Inc. All Rights Reserved. View our Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions, and Affiliate Program