Source: https://browardlandlord.wordpress.com/category/landlord-tenant/lease-terms/
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 09:18:02+00:00

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Nearly everyone is guilty of signing something they didn’t take the time to read at some point in their life. While it’s a somewhat common practice, it is usually best for a person to be aware of what they’re giving their consent to — and this is especially true for renters. For those getting ready to sign their first or fiftieth lease, protection starts with reading the fine print. The leasing contract lays out terms, conditions, and expectations that renters need to understand before they put their signature on the dotted line.
Rent: The lease should say how much the rent is each month and the acceptable forms of payment. It should state the date upon which the rent is due, and if there’s a grace period for late payments. It should also state how much late fees will be.
Deposits: The most common forms of deposit are security and pet deposits, but each landlord will have their own policies. Ensure the lease states the details of the deposit, including if and how tenants can get their deposit back.
Additional Charges: Any additional charges should be listed in the agreement, so tenants need to be sure they understand each line item. For example, the landlord may charge a processing fee for certain forms of payment, or a monthly wear-and-tear fee is the tenant has pets.
The lease should state which utilities are included in the rent, if any. From electric to water to cable services, landlords may choose to cover certain utilities as a perk of renting with them. Renters need to know that they need to cover so they can plan their budgets accordingly. Additionally, not all leases state that landlords pay for all the maintenance and repairs to the property. In some cases, tenants will be responsible for smaller projects that keep the home in good shape like tending to the lawn or replacing the air filters. What a tenant is responsible for will often change how they will budget money or time month-to-month, meaning it is important to understand these things before signing. If a tenant has questions about any financial matters on the lease, they should speak with their potential landlord to understand what is needed from them.
This section of the lease should give the landlord’s policies for how they tenant issues will be handled over time. Tenants need to understand the renewal policies, including rent increases, so they can make better long-term plans. This should also include when the lease starts, when it ends, and what’s included. If a refrigerator and a dishwasher come with the unit, this should be spelled out in the agreement. Tenants should also have the address of the property as well as the address and contact information of the landlord and/or property managers and caretakers.
The rest of the lease should give details about what the tenant can and cannot do. This may include information about the types of pets allowed, what fees are associated with potential damage, and whether or not tenants will be subject to routine inspection. It should state quiet hours of the property and if there are storage facilities available. Finally, the lease should set the terms for who is allowed to stay in the property, where the tenant is allowed to park, and if there are any insurance requirements.
Reading a lease over may take some time and brain power, but tenants who make the effort will usually have an easier time while living on the property. Once a person knows what they can expect, they can plan their time and money accordingly.
Our group has frequently discussed the value of using a contract to lease before signing an actual lease. While a contract to lease may serve the purpose of setting out what happens if the application is declined by the HOA or the tenant fails the background check, it can also be abused by realtors for their own personal gains.
A client used a realtor to obtain a tenant, and after six months the tenant offered to purchase the leased premises. About a week before closing the realtor popped up and demanded a 6% commission on the sale.
SALES: In the event that the subject property is sold to any tenant or occupant identified in the Lease or any member of their immediate family or any entity in which they have an interest during the term of the Lease (or any renewal, extension or new lease term), Landlord shall pay the Brokers (to be split equally) a sales commission equal to the greater of 6% of the sales price or the amount set forth in Landlord’s listing or other brokerage agreement with Listing Broker. This provision shall survive any subsequent agreement between Landlord and Tenant.
This appears to give the realtor a perpetual right to claim additional commissions every time the tenant renews the lease or purchases the property.
I have seen other versions of this same form bearing the Florida Realtors logo and copyright from Form Simplicity that do not have this clause, so it remains to be determined if this clause is an actual part of the copyrighted form or was added in by this particular realtor. Nevertheless, this highlights the point that realtors generally have no fiduciary duty to their clients. This means that they can legally advance their own interests to the detriment of their clients, as was the case with this life time commission agreement.
Bottom line: you have to read every word of a contract, even the “boilerplate,” or have an attorney review any contract before you sign it.
Appellate court rules addendum containing liquidates damages clause enforceable even if the provision is not in the lease.
On June 20, 2014 the 5th District Court of Appeals answered a question certified by the Brevard County Court as a matter of great public importance.
The county court answered “No,” concluding that a liquidated damages clause has to be in both the lease and the addendum.
The appellate court expressed its belief that the addendum was signed at the same time as the lease and also noted that it was described as “page 7 of 7” of the lease.
When is a duck not a duck?
When the judge says so !
The Florida statute of frauds provides that a lease for more than one year must be in writing and the landlord’s signature must by witnessed by two witnesses. What then is the status of the lease when it is only signed by the tenant and not the landlord, or if it is signed by the landlord but there aren’t any witness signatures ?
In University Square v. Congress Auto Center, 9 Fla L. Weekly Supp. 753a (Palm Beach Circuit Court 2002), the tenant saw a for rent sign with a realtor on it. Tenant called the realtor, and ultimately was given a lease which he signed and returned along with a check for first and last month’s rent and a security deposit. The landlord cashed the check and the realtor gave the tenant the keys to the premises. Tenant purchased fixtures for the premises and moved his business into the leased premises two months later.
The next week, the tenant received a letter from landlord’s attorney stating that the landlord had not signed the lease, so they were under an oral month to month tenancy, which they were hereby terminating. When the tenant refused to vacate, landlord sued for eviction. Tenant posted the rent in the court registry.
The court cited the Florida Supreme Court in Demps v. Hogan 48 So. 998 (1909) which ruled that where a seller on an oral agreement for the sale of land puts the buyer in possession and the buyer has performed all of his obligations under the agreement, the court will enforce the agreement despite the statute of frauds. The court in University Square stated to apply the statute of frauds against a tenant who had moved in and paid the rent for three months, would itself work a fraud against the tenant. So the unsigned lease was enforced.
House Bill 77 was signed into Law June 7, 2013. The 20 page bill extensively amended the residential landlord tenant act.
§83.42 (2) 83.42 Exclusions from application of part.
A purchaser is not exempt from the landlord tenant act unless he as paid at least 12 months’ rent or paid at least 1 month’s rent and a deposit of at least 5 percent of the purchase price of the property.
The right to attorney fees may not be waived in a lease agreement. However, attorney fees may not be awarded in a claim for personal injury damages based on a breach of duty under s. 83.51.
For leases entered into up until December 31, 2013 the landlord may give the notice according to the current landlord tenant statute. The disclosure herein is only required under leases entered into after January 1, 2014.
The failure of tenant to object to a landlord’s claim against security within 15 days no longer bars the tenant for suing to recover their security deposit.
§83.51 Landlord’s obligation to maintain premises.
Screens: the landlord shall ensure screens are installed in a reasonable condition at the commencement of the tenancy, but shall only have to fix them once a year thereafter.
§83.56. Seven Day Notice of non-compliance. The legislature clarified that once a 7 day notice of lease violation has been issued, the landlord does not have to issue another notice if the tenant commits another similar violation within a year in order to evict.
§83.56(5)(a) Waiver: The landlord may now accept partial rent after posting 3 day notice if : 1) the landlord provides a dated receipt stating the balance due before filing an eviction, and(2) puts the partial payment into the court registry upon filing the eviction.
§83.56(5)(c)Section 8: Waiver now occurs if landlord does not evict within 45 days of actual knowledge of tenant’s noncompliance not the date of the noncompliance.
§83.575 Notice of non-renewal of lease with fixed term. A lease requirement of notice of intent not to renew, will apply to both the landlord and the tenant.
§83.60 Defenses to action for rent or possession.
The legislature has made it clear that the courts are not to dismiss evictions for defective 3 day notices. They further clarified that the tenant is required to post the rent into the court registry even if the 3 day notice is defective.
(e) Tenant has paid the rent to the association pursuant to their demand.
(f) Tenant has exercised rights under local, state, or federal fair housing laws.
Any provision in a residential rental agreement which purports to waive the tenant’s right to access to the courthouse and the tenant’s rights to procedural and substantive due process process of law is clearly against public policy and is unenforceable by the courts.
CRISTIANO vs. ROBINSON,. County Court, 9th Judicial Circuit in and for Orange County, Civil Division. Case No. 2012-CC-013115-O, Division 73. October 23, 2012. Faye Allen, Judge.
In the case of SHORTER HOME SOLUTIONS, LLC,, vs. KINGDOM, ( Broward County Court 2010), 17 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 220a, the tenant was on a one year lease terminating 8/31/09 and receiving housing assistance from the City of Fort Lauderdale. The tenant stopped paying his portion of the rent in June, and in July he traveled to Mississippi without notifying the landlord. The City of Fort Lauderdale terminated the rent assistance and did not pay August rent. On August 20th, the landlord declared the property abandoned at removed the tenant’s belongings to the curb, which is where the tenant found them upon his return. Thereupon they filed suit against each other. The court consolidated the cases and ruled that the landlord was not required to file an eviction as the tenant had legally abandoned the premises by failing to notify the landlord he would return, the rent being delinquent, and the tenant being absent past the 15th of the month. The court ruled that the landlord was thus entitled to remove the tenant’s belongings and denied the tenant any relief for the loss of his property. In fact, the judge entered a money judgment against the tenant for the rent delinquency, costs, and fees. As the tenant had posted the rent into the court registry in order to contest the case, those funds were disbursed to the landlord.
If it looks like a duck ….
The court found that a written “Real Estate Lease” which required tenant to make regular monthly payments to landlord; to reimburse landlord for one-twelfth of his annual insurance premiums, property taxes, and mobile home registration expenses; and to maintain and repair subject dwelling unit and real property; and which further gave tenant option to purchase at end of twelve-year term for specified sum constituted a contract for deed, rather than a lease. A contract for deed is excluded from eviction procedures provided under Landlord-Tenant Act. Eviction complaint dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
Possession of real property under a contract for deed is tantamount to a mortgage and subject to the same rules of foreclosure and the same regulations and restraints as mortgages generally. Ziegler v. Hawkins, 315 So2d 200 (Fla 1st DCA 1975); H & L Land Co. v. Warner, 258 So2d 293 (Fla 2nd DCA 1972; and Cook v. Merryfield, 335 So2d 297 (Fla 1st DCA 1976). Therefore “Landlord’s” complaint to evict “Tenant” is dismissed.
BUYER’S ADVANTAGE FINANCE CO., INC., v. MORSE,. County Court, in and for Santa Rosa County, December 3, 1996. 4 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 475c.

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