My client has a contract to sell her home, but the buyer hasn’t deposited the earnest money despite numerous requests from his agent. My client thinks the buyer is in default, and she wants to terminate the contract and receive the earnest money. Is there a form to give notice to the buyer that the contract is terminated?

No. Although TREC contracts have provisions permitting the parties to terminate the contract because of some circumstances or conditions, there are currently only two provisions that allow a party to terminate the contract unilaterally by giving notice:

1. When the buyer exercises his unrestricted right to terminate during the option period

2. When the buyer cannot obtain financing approval pursuant to the Third Party Financing Condition Addendum

If your seller wants to formally notify the buyer of her election to terminate the contract and receive the earnest money because of the buyer’s default, she can write a letter to that effect that includes an earnest money release for the buyer to sign. While the letter will not conclusively establish that the contract has been terminated, sending the letter is still a good idea because it clearly states the seller’s position that it is terminated.

Source: TAR