Florida Landlord Tenant Law 2026: Landlord Rights and Responsibilities

Updated November 2026. Florida landlord tenant law under Chapter 83, Florida Statutes, with the notice periods, deposit deadlines and eviction steps checked against the 2026 statutes.

Under Florida landlord tenant law, as of November 2026, landlords must keep rentals up to code, give 24 hours’ notice before entering for repairs, return a security deposit within 15 days (or send a claim notice within 30), and give 30 days’ notice to end a month-to-month lease. You can collect rent, inspect with notice and evict, but only through the courts.

Jump to: 🏠 Your rights · 🪜 Your duties · 🤝 Renters’ rights · ⏱️ Notice periods · 🤝 Eviction · ❓ FAQ

When you rent a house, condo, apartment or mobile home in Florida, you enter a rental agreement, written or verbal. The Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Part II of Chapter 83, sets rules both sides must follow even if the lease is silent. Here’s what that means for you as a landlord, in plain English. Renting for the first time? Start with our tips for renting your property out for the first time.

What rights does a Florida landlord have?

• To collect rent on time, as the lease says.
• To get the property back at the end of the lease without damage beyond normal wear and tear.
• To enter the unit with reasonable notice to inspect, repair or show it, and without notice in an emergency.
• To keep part of the security deposit for unpaid rent or damage, if you follow the deposit rules.
• To end the tenancy with proper notice, and to evict through the court if a tenant doesn’t pay or breaks the lease.

Screening is a right too. You can check credit, rental history and income, as long as you apply the same standards to every applicant and follow fair housing law. Our guide to real estate background checks explains what you can and can’t ask.

What are a Florida landlord’s responsibilities?

Under section 83.51, you must follow local building, housing and health codes. Where there are no applicable codes, you must keep the roof, windows, doors, floors, steps, porches, exterior walls and foundations in good repair, and keep plumbing in reasonable working condition.

For units other than a single-family home or duplex, unless the lease says otherwise in writing, the statute also requires reasonable provisions for:

• Extermination of rats, mice, roaches, ants, wood-destroying organisms and bedbugs.
• Locks and keys.
• Clean and safe common areas.
• Garbage removal and outside receptacles.
• Working heat in winter, running water and hot water.

If a tenant must move out temporarily for extermination, the landlord must give 7 days’ written notice and abate the rent, per s. 83.51. Keep records of every repair request and fix. They’re your best defense in a dispute.

Security deposits

Section 83.49 sets strict rules. Within 30 days of receiving a deposit, tell the tenant in writing how and where it’s held (that notice rule doesn’t apply to landlords who rent fewer than five units). When the lease ends, return the deposit within 15 days if you’re not keeping any of it. If you intend to make a claim, send written notice within 30 days by certified mail to the tenant’s last known address, or by e-mail if the tenant agreed to that. The tenant then has 15 days to object. Miss the 30-day notice and you must return the deposit, though you can still sue for damages later.

What are renters’ rights in Florida?

A landlord’s duties are the tenant’s rights, seen from the other side. Under Chapter 83, a Florida renter can expect:

• A unit that meets local housing codes, with the structure and plumbing kept in repair (s. 83.51).
• At least 24 hours’ notice before the landlord enters for repairs, except in an emergency (s. 83.53).
• Written notice of where the deposit is held, and a 15-day window to object to a deposit claim (s. 83.49).
• No lockout, utility shutoff or removal of belongings, ever (s. 83.67).
• No retaliation for a good-faith complaint to a code agency (s. 83.64).

If the landlord doesn’t make required repairs, the tenant can send written notice and, after 7 days, raise that as a defense to a rent claim under s. 83.60, provided the tenant pays the disputed rent into the court registry when the court requires it. For the full tenant view, read renters’ rights and duties in Florida.

Can a Florida city add its own landlord rules?

Mostly no. Section 83.425 says the regulation of residential tenancies and the landlord-tenant relationship is preempted to the state. It overrides local rules on screening, deposits, application fees, lease terms and the rights of both sides. So a landlord in Port Orange, Miami or Tampa follows the same Chapter 83 rules. Building, housing and health codes still apply locally under s. 83.51, so check your city’s code office too.

What notice does a Florida landlord have to give?

If your notes say 15 days for month-to-month or 12 hours for repairs, they’re out of date. The current statutes say 30 days and 24 hours. Put notices in writing and keep a copy with the date you delivered it.

Your tenant’s side of the deal is covered in our guide to Renter’s Rights & Duties in the State of Florida. Reading it helps you anticipate what a tenant will ask for.

What can’t a Florida landlord do?

Section 83.64 makes it unlawful to raise rent, cut services or threaten to evict mainly to retaliate, for example because a tenant complained to a code agency in good faith. Section 83.67 bans “self-help” moves: you can’t shut off utilities, change the locks, take off doors or windows, or remove the tenant’s belongings to force them out. A landlord who does owes actual and consequential damages or 3 months’ rent, whichever is greater, plus costs and attorney’s fees.

Also stay within fair housing law. You can’t refuse to rent, or set different terms, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or familial status.

How does eviction work in Florida?

Eviction is a court process. Skipping a step usually means starting over. The Florida eviction process, as Florida Law Help explains it, runs like this:

• Serve the right notice: a 3-day notice for unpaid rent, or a 7-day notice for other lease violations.
• If the tenant doesn’t pay or fix the problem, file an eviction complaint in county court and have the tenant served.
• The tenant has 5 days to answer and, if they dispute the rent, deposit the rent they agree they owe into the court registry.
• If the tenant doesn’t respond or the court rules for you, the clerk issues a writ of possession.
• The sheriff posts a 24-hour notice, then puts you back in possession, per s. 83.62. Weekends and holidays don’t pause that 24 hours.

Because the rules are strict, many landlords use an attorney for their first eviction. For the federal side, our property management compliance checklist for investors covers fair housing, lead paint and screening notices. The Florida BAR runs a lawyer referral service, and local legal aid offices help tenants. Dealing with someone who never had a lease at all? See our guide on how to deal with squatters. Our FAQ covers how long an eviction usually takes.

What are tenants’ rights when a landlord sells a property in Florida?

You can. A sale doesn’t end a lease. The buyer usually takes the home subject to the lease and steps into your shoes as landlord. Section 83.49 says deposits and advance rent must be transferred to the new owner, with an accounting for each tenant. Give the buyer a copy of the lease, the deposit details and any rent records before closing.

Showings need the same notice as any other entry, so plan them with your tenant. A tenant who’s on board, and maybe offered a rent credit for the hassle, makes for much easier showings. If you’d rather sell empty, wait for the lease to end or agree on a move-out date in writing.

When you’re ready, our guide on selling a house by owner in Florida walks through the steps. A Beycome flat fee MLS listing puts the home on the Florida MLS from $99 (see the Florida page) with $0 at closing, and Beycome Title closes Florida sales with a $99 settlement fee when prepaid on beycome.com. It also closes in Texas ($299), and, in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana.

Buying a rental instead? Read what to know before buying a house in Florida and our guide to renting out your first home when you buy a second. The Beycome buyer program has no upfront fee: Beycome keeps 1% of the price (minimum $1,499) and credits the rest of the buyer-agent commission at closing, with lender approval. It’s open to every buyer on homes listed by other agents (the credit can’t apply where no buyer-agent commission is offered, like most FSBO homes, or on homes listed by Beycome sellers). Already a landlord? See how landlords manage rentals well and understanding your lease.

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