Whatever circumstances led your clients to rent in Florida, it is important they understand that it is not only the landlord who has responsibilities. While tenants have rights, they also have legal duties as well, and a lack of understanding of these duties leads to most landlord-tenant disputes in Ft. Lauderdale.
Tenant Responsibilities
Often, disputes between tenants and landlords can be resolved quickly and easily by educating the tenant and eliciting a promise to observe their duties in the future, including:
- To pay the agreed-upon rent as scheduled
- To comply with all housing and health codes
- To properly maintain the dwelling or other leased premises
- To clean the dwelling or other leased premises reasonably well
- To obey all applicable laws and not disturb the peace, and ensure guests do likewise
It is also vital that you impress upon them the fact that violations of these basic responsibilities can lead to eviction proceedings and other landlord-tenant disputes in Florida.
Eviction and Landlord-Tenant Disputes
Defending your client’s interests is not merely carried out in the court room or the conference room, but in the actual dwelling or other leased premises as well. It is important to ensure that in a dispute, the landlord does not
- change the locks or prevent a tenant from living in the apartment or occupying business premises until eviction has been achieved
- turn off power or water or other necessary utilities
- evict without cause
Time is of the essence. The moment your clients advise you that they have received an eviction notice, there is generally not much time left to respond or take action – especially if they have already hesitated or wasted time trying to talk to the landlord themselves. Although landlord-tenant disputes are often resolved through litigation, they are often also resolved through mediation.
