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I had to suddenly move out of my apartment due to a mold issue. Instead of continuing trying to fix it the property manager asked if I would like to break lease, and I gave thirty-days notice and had him sign and date my lease to prove it.

Now, I'm trying to get my security deposit back, and despite the property manager having a copy of my thirty-days notice with my forwarding address that he signed, he texted me to ask for my new address. When I received the letter it was sent from the landlord and not the property manager, the name on the letter was not my name but rather a completely different name that I have heard them call me, my last name was misspelled, and there was absolutely nothing in the letter. You could hold it up to the sunlight and see that it was empty.

At this point I really don't trust them to be either organized or honest. The property manager said it must have been a mistake, but is there any legal reason that sending me an empty letter would benefit them? Could they possible use it to say they sent it and blame me in any way? It's just too weird to ignore.

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  • Was it sent registered mail? Signature required?
    – Ron Beyer
    Oct 13, 2020 at 14:36
  • @RonBeyer I did not have to sign to receive the mail and it looked like a regular envelope with a stamp on it. It was left in the mailbox. Would I even have been able to sign for it with the wrong first name?
    – user34872
    Oct 13, 2020 at 14:46
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    Don't assume malice if plain old stupidity will do
    – Hilmar
    Oct 14, 2020 at 15:39
  • Tenancy laws are usually city/state specific, so that information might theoretically help with a similar question in general in the future...but I agree with ohwilleke's answer that there's no conceivable benefit to them having done this, and I can't imagine a legal regime in which it would confer any benefit.
    – Ryan M
    Oct 27, 2020 at 3:43

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there was absolutely nothing in the letter. You could hold it up to the sunlight and see that it was empty.

There is no legal reason to do this. Somebody screwed up. Office workers are not infallible. It happens. I've seen government officials with no grudge against my client do it too now and then. Taken together with the spelling errors in your name it reflects general administrative incompetence and not some nefarious plot.

The cautious thing to do would be to call them and tell them that you got a misaddressed letter with nothing inside it. A judge might frown at your conduct if you had some inkling they were trying to communicate with you and did nothing.

Save the empty envelope to prove that they didn't send you a security deposit letter as they claimed if there is a dispute or litigation down the road.

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  • Thank you, I just needed to confirm! It was very very weird.
    – user34872
    Oct 14, 2020 at 13:11

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