What Changed? Florida's 2025–2026 Summons & Unlawful Detainer Forms The Florida Supreme Court’s 2025–2026 updates to Summons (Form 1.902), Unlawful Detainer (Form 1.938), and related civil-procedure rules are more than routine formatting changes—they fundamentally...
Landlords increasingly rely on promissory notes, repayment agreements, early-termination fee agreements, and other credit instruments to secure money owed by tenants. But a recent Florida appellate court decision, Miller v. ARCPE Bahamas, LLC, 5D2024-2573 (Fla. 5th...
A recent lawsuit out of Minnesota serves as a warning to landlords everywhere: mishandling security deposits can lead to state enforcement actions, heavy penalties, and reputational damage. Florida landlords should take note: F.S. 83.49 imposes strict rules on...
Florida’s self-storage laws give facility owners a lien against a tenant’s stored property when rent isn’t paid, but those same laws impose strict notice requirements before the owner can sell a tenant’s belongings. A recent appellate case, Krocka v. Public Storage,...
When COVID-19 hit in 2020, governments across the United States—federal, state, and local—issued sweeping emergency orders. Many of these orders had significant and sometimes devastating impacts on residential and commercial landlords. These impacts ranged from bans...
Florida landlords must understand and carefully exercise their rights when a tenant terminates a lease before its natural expiration. The options available to a landlord following a tenant’s early lease termination are strictly governed by F.S. § 83.595, which allows...
Florida law allows landlords to terminate month-to-month or other at-will tenancies using a straightforward legal process outlined in Florida Statutes sec. 83.57. This provision is essential for landlords who wish to regain possession of their rental property without...
On February 5, 2025, Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal issued a key decision in Klein v. 17121 Jade Ocean Condo, LLC. The case dealt with unpaid rent, property damage, and missing items in a residential lease. The appellate court affirmed some of the trial...
Evictions don’t always end when the tenant moves out. Sometimes, the losing tenant strikes back with new claims, alleging unfair practices, harassment, or violations of consumer protection laws. A recent federal case, Lacayo v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 2019 U.S. Dist....
Landlords routinely apply uniform rules to promote fairness especially when it comes to fees for parking, amenities, or services. But what happens when a tenant with a disability requests that a fee be waived as a "reasonable accommodation"? The Fair Housing Act (FHA)...