Just about any proceeding using a specific detailed law requires exact compliance with the letter of the law for it to work correctly. Like following complicated instructions for assembling furniture, if you miss one step, the end result is destined for failure. Evictions in Florida are no different and are a veritable minefield for the unwary. Here’s why.

1) The process can become very long and involved. Tenants have access to instant information on proper eviction procedure and many are very capable of pushing back against your attempt to evict them. Blunders in the notice, dates, and other details are open doors to having an eviction thrown out, meaning you will have to start all over again. Indeed, just about any error in the process used by the landlord to evict the tenant can be grounds for having the eviction process declared invalid and the landlord will need to start the entire process, including wait times, all over again.

2) The overall cost will go up. Again, more time equals more money, especially if you are forced to start over, even in situations of non-payment. And, during the time that you are having to start over, the tenant will continue to be able to live in the unit. If a landlord partakes in so-called “self-help” tactics to force an eviction, such as changing locks or shutting off utilities, this becomes even more expensive in the form of damages to the tenant in the amount of three months’ rent.  

3) Other issues can become major problems. If you start an eviction and it turns out that the tenant has been complaining in writing to you about sub-standard maintenance of the property, your attempt to evict the tenant for non-payment or other violation may not hold much water. This is because the landlord owes a duty to a tenant to make the premises habitable, and if they are unable or unwilling to fulfill that duty and the tenant withholds rent payments as a result (and notifies the landlord of the problems in writing), then the tenant will likely be declared the winner. The moral of this story is to ensure that there are no other problems lurking in the background before you begin eviction proceedings that can give a tenant the necessary standing to push back on the eviction, and potentially win.

4) Lawyers will need to be more involved. The best way to handle evictions from the start is to have legal counsel who is very familiar with the requirements of eviction in Florida advising and assisting you at every step of the process. If you don’t get a lawyer involved until the eviction has been rejected, the attorney will have that much larger of a problem to fix, which will take more time and, yes, more money.

The best way to save yourself time and money is to have qualified, experienced, and knowledgeable counsel assisting you every step of the way. Brian Chase can be that attorney who can either handle the entire process for you, assist you, or advise you on your options and the steps you need to take. Contact him today and get started.