I am a US citizen living abroad. Can I give my dad power to sue my landlord for me back in the US?
July 4th, 2011 | 
Author: I held a lease with my landlord for 4 years. I have recently left the country for a job abroad. I gave my landlord notice, and he assured me I would get my security deposit back (I have this in emails). The terms of my lease says that the landlord must return the deposit within 60 days. It has been that and he hasn’t returned it and is not responding to my calls and emails. He is taking advantage of the fact that I am abroad and cannot bring a civil suit.
Can I give power of attorney to my father to bring a civil court suit against my landlord? My dad resides in the same county as the suit would be filed. He has original copies of my lease.
Will power of attorney work for this? And can I do it from abroad? It’ll cost me more to return to the states than the money I stand to lose from my landlord. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
Posted in Landlord Tenant Law
A power of attorney can be used to give a person authority to collect, defend, sue, etc. on behalf of the principal, but they cannot represent you in a court of law unless they’re a licensed attorney. They would have the authority to hire an attorney to represent you in a court of law. A short letter from you to the landlord stating that you will, if necessary, hire an attorney to recover your deposit plus interest and reasonable attorney fees is a good first step prior to making your next decision.