The Florida Small Landlord Compliance Guide
For self-managing owners of 1–4 rental units in Florida. The deposit deadlines, notices, entry rules and eviction steps of Chapter 83, Part II, in one place — every rule cited to the 2026 Florida Statutes, with the statutory notice wording ready to copy.
Why Florida landlords buy this
- The deposit clock. Florida gives a landlord a short, fixed window to return a deposit or send a claim notice, and the statute prescribes what the notice says. Miss it or mangle it and the deposit fight starts on the tenant's side.
- Eviction notices have a form. The 3-day and 7-day notices have statutory wording and counting rules. Get the wording or the count wrong and you risk serving again, so this guide quotes the wording from the statute instead of paraphrasing it.
- One statute, statewide. Part II sets the rules, and s. 83.425 preempts local regulation of the matters it covers, so one checklist applies from Miami to Pensacola. The guide quotes where state law stops and local codes still apply.
What's inside
- What Part II covers and what it does not
- Before you sign: deposits, advance rent and lease terms
- Required disclosures checklist
- Holding the deposit
- Returning the deposit
- Deductions, objections, forfeiture and court
- Rent, tenancy terms and ending a tenancy without cause
- Landlord duties, tenant duties and entry
- Electronic notices: the s. 83.505 addendum
- Non-payment of rent: the 3-day notice
- Lease violations and prohibited practices
- Eviction court steps, as far as Chapter 83 goes
- Appendix: What changed 2023-2026, and source index
Fill-in templates and the statutory notices (deposit disclosure, claim notice, 3-day and 7-day notices, e-mail addendum) are inside the guide, quoted from the statute where the statute gives the wording.
What this guide does not do
- It is not legal advice and does not replace a Florida landlord-tenant attorney for a contested eviction or lawsuit.
- It covers Chapter 83, Part II only (residential tenancies). Mobile home parks, commercial leases and court procedure outside Chapter 83 are out of scope.
- It does not cover s. 83.491 (fee in lieu of deposit) or s. 83.512 (flood disclosure); read them in the statute.
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FAQ
Is this legal advice?
No. It is an informational compliance reference. For anything disputed or high-stakes, talk to a Florida landlord-tenant attorney.
How do I get the guide after I pay?
Stripe sends you straight back to your private guide page. No account and no waiting. Keep the link: it opens your copy again.
What if the law changes?
Florida's legislature meets every year. Each section cites the exact subsection, so you can re-check it at flsenate.gov, and the guide states the date it was last checked against the statute: October 4, 2026.
Does it cover my city's rules?
Section 83.425 preempts local regulation of matters covered by Part II. The guide quotes it and points out what it does not settle, such as building codes and licensing.
Informational only, not legal advice. Statute text checked against the 2026 Florida Statutes (Chapter 83, Part II) on October 4, 2026. Statutes change every legislative session and a court may read them differently than a summary does; for a dispute, an eviction or anything expensive to get wrong, talk to a Florida landlord-tenant attorney.