free florida residential lease agreement Template

The free Florida residential lease agreement contains all the significant elements of a rental contract, as well as legal disclosures and provisions for pets, subletting, maintenance and more. Whether you are a tenant or landlord, you are sure to find this document easy to understand and use, with minimal additions for names, dates and payments.

A contract is a document that defines the terms of an exchange, whether it is payment for services or purchase of a property. A residential lease is a contract for a rental relationship between a landlord and tenant, detailing what the renter gives and receives in exchange. It spells out the amount of the deposit required to occupy a specific living space, the monthly payment amount, when the payment is due and other terms the tenant must meet to live there. Elements typically included are: — Landlord and tenant are expected to maintain clean premises in good repair — Whether the tenant can sublet the premises; many times, this is specifically excluded — A stipulation that the tenant cannot make building alterations without consent A lease document is legal and binding; it goes into effect immediately after it is signed, so renters should be sure of their intentions before putting pen to paper. Most landlords are willing to work with a would-be renter who changes his or her mind after signing the lease, as long as no rent is lost because of it. In this situation, renters should let the landlord know as soon as possible that they no longer want the property so other tenants can be found.

Just as landlords and property managers use residential lease agreements to safeguard their interests, so should prospective renters. If there is more than one tenant, such as multiple roommates or a spouse, many landlords require each roommate or responsible adult with plans to live there to sign the lease. Each person who signs it can then be held accountable for meeting the terms of the contract, namely ensuring full payment of rent each month, and other conditions as well. It is understandable from the landlord’s point of view that the entire rent needs to be paid regardless of what may be happening in each individual tenant’s life. If the landlord is amenable to the arrangement, it can be helpful to have each roommate write a personal check for her or his share of the rent. The others will still have to cover the full amount if one roommate falls short, but it will be obvious to the landlord who is living up to the agreement and who is not. If the problem continues or other issues arise due to the same roommate and the lease is broken, the landlord may be willing to evict only the troublesome roommate and not the entire household.

Any time you rent a living space, regardless of where it is located and what type of space it is (house, apartment, etc.), you should use the free Florida residential lease agreement form. Verbal leases are acceptable, but not recommended, as they are harder to prove in court should there be a dispute over money owed, damages, eviction or another issue. A written lease agreement provides a framework for the ongoing relationship between landlord and tenant. It is useful as a €œrulebook€ to explain what tenants are expected to do while they live there and what they can expect in return from the landlord or property management company. Some of these rules include things such as: — Maintaining a clean home and grounds — Obeying HOA or building rules, if applicable — Not disturbing neighbors with loud TVs, stereos or radios — Keeping plumbing, the HVAC unit, appliances and other items in good working order Not only does the agreement set the rent and deposit amount, the lease explains the landlord’s responsibilities in case of natural disasters, fires and other events not caused by the tenant. It also defines how and when a landlord may access the premises without notice for inspection, repairs and showing to prospective tenants.

A lease protects the tenant and landlord. Without it, misunderstandings are more likely to occur as memories fade. Although both parties may have agreed on a specific condition at the start, such as not having pets, there is no proof of this agreement without a lease. If a landlord does not want tenants to hang laundry off a balcony or elsewhere, it should be noted in the contract, as shown in the free Florida lease agreement form here. This document also lists circumstances that landlords consider eligible for a deduction from the security deposit, including: — Unpaid rent and utilities — Replacement of garage-door openers — Packing and moving abandoned property For the tenant, the lease defines some essential rights, such as needing to have seven days’ notice of non-compliance with any rules, and the same notice for eviction. It also lets tenants know they have legal recourse should the landlord not comply with requirements of the lease.

Filling out the free Florida residential lease agreement is quick and easy. Simply fill in the blanks, as noted below:

Contract dates: The day the contract is signed and names of landlord and tenant

Address: Physical address of property, including apartment number, if applicable

Term: Beginning and end dates of actual tenancy

Rent: Monthly amount due, daily late fee and security deposit

Use of premises: List names of all tenats.

Tenant’s hold-over: Month-to-month rent after original lease expires

Animals: Daily penalty for unauthorized pets 8. Notice: Tenant and landlord addresses for notifications Finally, the landlord and tenant sign the contract. Dates are when the agreement is signed, not the length of the tenancy.

[pdf-embedder url=”https://cdn-prod-pdfsimpli-wpcontent.azureedge.net/pdfseoforms/pdf-20180219t134432z-001/pdf/free-florida-residential-lease-agreements.pdf”]

Resources https://realestate.findlaw.com/landlord-tenant-law/landlord-tenant-overview-and-roommate-agreements.html https://www.freshfromflorida.com/Consumer-Resources/Consumer-Rights-and-Responsibilities/Landlord-Tenant-Law-in-Florida https://statelaws.findlaw.com/florida-law/florida-tenant-rights-laws.html