101 Law Forms for Personal Use

368 Pages·2008·1.56 MB·English

6th edition
101 Law
Forms for
Personal Use
By Attorneys Ralph Warner & Robin Leonard
with the editors of Nolo
Sixth Edition novEmbEr 2007
Editor Emily doSkow
Cover design SuSan putnEy
production margarEt livingSton
proofreader Emily k. wolman
Cd-rom preparation EllEn bittEr
index EllEn ShErron
printing dElta printing SolutionS, inC.
warner, ralph E.
101 law forms for personal use / by ralph warner & robin leonard ; with the
editors of nolo. -- 6th ed.
p. cm.
includes bibliographical references and index.
iSbn-13: 978-1-4133-0712-2 (pbk.)
iSbn-10: 1-4133-0712-4 (pbk.)
1. Forms (law)--united States--popular works. i. leonard, robin. ii. title. iii.
title: one hundred one law forms for personal use. iv. title: one hundred and
one law forms for personal use.
kF170.l46 2007
347.73'55--dc22
2207018036
Copyright © 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2007 by nolo.
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reproduction prohibitions do not apply to the forms c ontained in this product when reproduced for personal use.
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Acknowledgments
Tis book is a compilation and modifcation of some of the forms that exist in several
other nolo publications, plus several new ones. it couldn’t have been written without the
editorial assistance and support of nolo’s editorial department, particularly: ilona bray,
Cathy Caputo, amy delpo, Emily doskow, Steve Elias, diana Fitzpatrick, lisa guerin,
Ella hirst, Shae irving, beth mckenna, Shannon miehe, Janet portman, mary randolph,
barbara kate repa, alayna Schroeder, betsy Simmons, and marcia Stewart. Tanks to
teresa bruns for her research assistance. terri hearsh labored long and hard to make the
book both attractive and functional. mari Stein provided the wonderful artwork.
For the Fifth Edition, many thanks are due to John lamb, whose work on Chapters
7, 8, 10, and 11 was invaluable. For the Sixth Edition as well as all previous editions,
nolo’s applications development department, represented by andré Zivkovich and Ellen
bitter, did a great job making the forms in this book consistent and sensible.
Table of Contents
How to Use Tis Book
I
Filling in the Contracts and Forms ....................................................................................3
Editing the Forms .......................................................................................................................4
Describing People, Property, and Events .......................................................................5
Signing the Forms .......................................................................................................................7
Resolving Disputes .....................................................................................................................8
Do You Need a Lawyer? ....................................................................................................... 10
Delegating Authority to Care for Children, Pets, and Property
1
Form 1: Temporary Guardianship Authorization for Care of Minor ...............12
Form 2: Authorization for Minor’s Medical Treatment ..................................... 13
Form 3: Authorization for Foreign Travel With Minor ....................................... 14
Form 4: Housesitting Instructions .................................................................................. 14
Form 5: Children’s Carpool Agreement ....................................................................... 15
Form 6: Pet Care Agreement ............................................................................................. 16
Form 7: Authorization to Drive a Motor Vehicle ................................................... 16
Form 8: Power of Attorney for Finances (Limited Power) ................................ 17
Form 9: Power of Attorney for Real Estate ................................................................ 21
Form 10: Notice of Revocation of Power of Attorney ......................................... 25
Basic Estate Planning
2
Form 11: Property Worksheet .......................................................................................... 28
Form 12: Benefciary Worksheet ..................................................................................... 29
Forms 13 and 14: Basic Wills .............................................................................................. 30
Form 13: Will for Adult With No Child(ren) ............................................................ 32
Form 14: Will for Adult With Child(ren) .................................................................... 32
Tings to Do After a Death: Documents for Executors
3
Form 16: Request for Death Certifcate ....................................................................... 36
Form 17: Notice to Creditor of Death .......................................................................... 37
Form 18: Executor’s Checklist ........................................................................................... 38
Form 19: General Notice of Death ................................................................................ 38
Form 20: Obituary Information Fact Sheet ............................................................... 39
Form 21: Notice to Deceased’s Homeowners’ Insurance Company .......... 40
Form 22: Notice to Deceased’s Vehicle Insurance Company ......................... 40
Renting a Place to Live
4
Form 23: Apartment-Finding Service Checklist ...................................................... 44
Form 24: Rental Application ............................................................................................. 45
Form 25: Fixed-Term Residential Lease and
Form 26: Month-to-Month Residential Rental Agreement ........................ 46
Form 27: Landlord-Tenant Agreement to Terminate Lease ............................. 48
Form 28: Consent to Assignment of Lease ................................................................ 49
Form 29: Landlord-Tenant Checklist ............................................................................. 49
Form 30: Notice of Needed Repairs ............................................................................... 50
Form 31: Tenant’s Notice of Intent to Move Out .................................................. 51
Form 32: Demand for Return of Security Deposit ................................................ 51
Borrowing or Lending Money
5
Form 33: Loan Comparison Worksheet ...................................................................... 54
Form 34: Authorization to Check Credit and Employee References .......... 54
Form 35: Monthly Payment Record .............................................................................. 56
Forms 36–40: Promissory Notes ..................................................................................... 56
Form 36: Promissory Note—Installment Payments With Interest .............. 58
Form 37: Promissory Note—Installment Payments With
Interest and Balloon Payment ..................................................................................... 59
Form 38: Promissory Note—Installment Payments Without Interest ....... 60
Form 39: Promissory Note—Lump Sum Payment With Interest ................. 60
Form 40: Promissory Note—Lump Sum Payment Without Interest .......... 61
Form 41: Cosigner Provision .............................................................................................. 61
Forms 42–45: Security Agreements .............................................................................. 61
Form 42: Security Agreement Provision for Promissory Note ........................ 62
Form 43: Security Agreement ........................................................................................... 63
Form 44: U.C.C. Financing Statement ........................................................................... 63
Form 45: Release of U.C.C. Financing Statement ................................................... 64
Form 46: Agreement to Modify Promissory Note................................................. 64
Form 47: Overdue Payment Demand .......................................................................... 65
Form 48: Demand to Make Good on Bad Check................................................... 65
Buying a House
6
Form 49: Ideal House Profle ............................................................................................. 68
Form 50: House Priorities Worksheet .......................................................................... 69
Form 51: House Comparison Worksheet ................................................................... 70
Form 52: Family Financial Statement ........................................................................... 70
Form 53: Monthly Carrying Costs Worksheet ......................................................... 73
Form 54: Mortgage Rates and Terms Worksheet................................................... 74
Form 55: Moving Checklist ................................................................................................ 78
Buying or Selling a Car, Dog, or Other Personal Property
7
Form 56: Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale................................................................................ 80
Form 57: Boat Bill of Sale ..................................................................................................... 81
Form 58: Computer System Bill of Sale ....................................................................... 82
Form 59: General Bill of Sale .............................................................................................. 82
Form 60: Bill of Sale for Dog .............................................................................................. 83
Renting Personal Property and Storing Goods
8
Form 61: Personal Property Rental Agreement ...................................................... 86
Form 62: Notice of Termination of Personal Property
Rental Agreement .............................................................................................................. 87
Form 63: Storage Contract ................................................................................................. 87
Home Repairs and Maintenance
9
Form 64: Home Maintenance Agreement ................................................................. 91
Form 65: Home Repairs Agreement .............................................................................. 92
Form 66: Contractor Mid-Job Worksheet.................................................................... 92
Handling Personal Finances
10
Form 67: Daily Expenses ...................................................................................................... 96
Form 68: Monthly Income .................................................................................................. 97
Form 69: Monthly Budget ................................................................................................... 97
Form 70: Statement of Assets and Liabilities ........................................................... 98
Form 71: Assignment of Rights ........................................................................................ 98
Form 72: Notice to Terminate Joint Account .......................................................... 99
Form 73: Notice to Stop Payment of Check ...........................................................100
Form 74: Request for Credit Report ............................................................................101
Form 75: Dispute Incorrect Credit Report Entry ..................................................102
Form 76: Dispute Credit Card Charge ........................................................................103
Form 77: Demand Collection Agency Cease Contact .......................................104
Dealing With Junk Mail and Telemarketing Calls
11
Form 78: Notice to Remove Name From List .........................................................107
Form 79: Notice to Add or Retain Name but Not Sell or Trade It ..............109
Form 80: Telemarketing Phone Call Log ...................................................................109
Form 81: Notice to Put Name on Company’s “Do Not Call” List ................110
Form 82: Demand for Damages for Excessive Calls ............................................111
Hiring Child Care, Elder Care, or Household Help
12
Form 83: Child Care Agreement ....................................................................................116
Form 84: Child Care Instructions ..................................................................................118
Form 85: Elder Care Agreement ....................................................................................119
Form 86: Housekeeping Services Agreement .........................................................119
Living Together
13
Form 87: Agreement to Keep Property Separate .................................................122
Form 88: Agreement for a Joint Purchase ................................................................123
Form 89: Agreement to Share Property ....................................................................124
Form 90: Declaration of Legal Name Change ........................................................125
Settling Legal Disputes
14
Form 91: Demand Letter ...................................................................................................128
Form 92: Online Auction Buyer Demand Letter ..................................................129
Form 93: Request for Refund or Repair of Goods Under Warranty ..........130
Form 94: Accident Claim Worksheet .........................................................................132
Forms 95–100: Releases......................................................................................................132
Form 95: General Release ..................................................................................................134
Form 96: General Mutual Release .................................................................................135
Form 97: Release for Damage to Real Estate ...........................................................135
Form 98: Release for Property Damage in Auto Accident ..............................135
Form 99: Release for Personal Injury ...........................................................................135
Form 100: Mutual Release of Contract Claims ......................................................136
Miscellaneous Forms for Personal Use
15
Form 101: Complaint Letter ............................................................................................138
Form 102: Notice of Insurance Claim .........................................................................139
Form 103: Notice to Cancel Certain Contracts .....................................................140
Form 104: Cancel Membership or Subscription Notice ...................................141
Form 105: Request to Begin Special Education Process ...................................142
Form 106: Identity Teft Worksheet ..........................................................................143
Appendix A: How to Use the CD-ROM
A
Installing the Form Files Onto Your Computer ....................................................148
Using the Word Processing Files to Create Documents ...................................148
List of Files Included on the CD-ROM .......................................................................151
Appendix B: Tear-Out Forms ..............................................................................155
B

Index ...........................................................................................................................................355
i n t r o d u c t i o n
I
H o w t o U s e T i s B o o k
F i l l i n g i n t h e C o n t r a. c. .t. s. . .a.n. .d. . .F. o. .r. m. . .s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
E d i t i n g t h e. . F. .o. .r.m. . s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
S e l e c t i n g F r o m S e v.e. .r.a. .l . .C. .h. o. . i. c. .e. s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
D e l e t i n g C l a u s e s. .o. .r. . P. .h. .r.a. .s.e. .s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A d d i n g C l a u s e s o .r. . L. .a. n. . g. .u. .a. g. .e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
D e s c r i b i n g P e o p l e , P r o p .e. r. .t.y. ., . .a. n. .d. . .E. v. .e. .n. t. .s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
S i g n i n g t h e. . F. .o. .r.m. . s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notarization ..............................................................................................................................................7
Spouse’s Signature .................................................................................................................................7
Resolving Disputes ......................................................................................................................................8
Do You Need a Lawyer? ......................................................................................................................... 10
2 | 101 LAW FORMS FOR PERSONAL USE
his book provides more than 100 almost always consist of pages full of hyped-up
ready-to-use forms and contracts for a legalese, the c ontracts in this book are written
T variety of everyday legal and practical in everyday (but legal) language. Tey are
transactions that most americans can safely designed to describe and defne a transaction,
handle without formal legal help. among the such as designating a temporary guardian
forms included are those necessary to write a for your child, with a reasonable level of
simple will, settle minor legal disputes, prepare s pecifcity—without sacrifcing the important
a power of attorney document, lend or borrow virtues of clarity and simplicity.
money, rent a place to live, request your credit don’t worry that because our contracts are
report, and sell a used car. Forms are also jargon-free, they might be less valid than others.
included to hire someone to do home repairs, to in general, as long as two parties—business
care for your c hildren, and for a variety of other entities or people—exchange promises to each
purposes. do something of beneft for the other, a valid
many of the forms in this book are p rimarily contract is formed. a c ontract will usually
d esigned for your personal use, such as the be enforced as long as all of the following
apartment-Finding Service Checklist or loan requirements are met:
Comparison worksheet. but other forms, such • Te terms are specifc enough. Te contract
as the Elder Care agreement, are contracts, must be clear and detailed enough so that
designed for two or more parties to create a an arbitrator or judge can sensibly decide
legally enforceable agreement. unlike com- who is right. For example, a house painting
mercial contracts used to buy a house or sign up agreement that says “John the painter
with a health maintenance organization, which
Te Importance of Getting Contracts in Writing
Te most important rule when making any And a well-drafted contract has several other
business agreement or transaction is this: Get it i mportant benefts. For one, it serves as a
in writing. In a few situations—such as a contract framework for settling disputes. If this proves
to buy or sell real estate—you must have a impossible and a court contest ensues, it will be
written agreement for it to be legally enforceable. far easier to prove the terms of a written contract
Similarly, a contract that can’t be performed than an oral one.
within one year of when it’s made must be Another important beneft of drafting a written
written. agreement is that the act of putting a contract
But even when an oral contract is legal, there t ogether can help you and the other parties
are many practical reasons why you want to write focus on all key legal and practical issues, some of
it down. Two years from now, you and the other which might otherwise be overlooked. By starting
people involved in any transaction are likely to this process with a well-designed form—like
have signifcantly diferent recollections about what those in this book—you increase your chances of
you agreed to. So putting your agreement into creating a thorough and useful document.
black and white is an important memory aid.