Unlawful Detainer Action in Florida
Are you a property owner or a legal tenant with a relative, a child above 18 years, an ex-spouse, friend, ex-girlfriend, ex-boyfriend, or any person living on your property without paying rent and has no rental agreement or lease but won’t leave? Have you and that person's relationship broken, and you now ask them to leave, but they have refused? Or are you a homeowner with a squatter or an unwelcome individual who refuses to leave?
If
any of the above is true, you don't need an eviction or ejectment action.
Unlawful
detainer acts are governed by Chapter 82 of the Florida Statutes, which lays
out landowners’ provisions to protect their rights in the property. An unlawful
detainer action in Florida is a County Court litigation that does not
include landlords, tenants, or leases such as lease agreements. It consists of
a squatter or an anonymous person renting your land without paying rent or
mortgage fees and refusing to leave when ordered to, despite having no legal
claim or rights to the premises.
When is an Unlawful Detainer Action Necessary
in Florida?
You
have the right as an owner or occupant in lawful possession of a property to
terminate an unwanted guest's occupancy at any moment. However, just calling
the cops to evict the unwelcome visitor from the property would not fix the
problem. Unfortunately, since it's a civil matter, law enforcement isn't
lawfully obligated to evict them from the premises. This means you'll need to
get a court order asking the unwanted individual to leave.
If a
contract binds a person renting the property, has paid rent, made interest
payments, contributed to the property's upkeep, or has paid taxes in return for
the use of the property, the legal recourse for removing the person is an
eviction.
It's
also worth noting that if an individual renting the property isn't bound by a
contract, didn't pay rent, mortgage, utilities, or upkeep expenses in return
for the use of the property, has no privilege, interest, or title to the
property, the legal recourse for evicting the person is an ejectment action,
not a Florida unlawful detainer case.
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