Florida Lease Agreement: What to Include

Florida landlord-tenant law is governed primarily by Chapter 83 of the Florida Statutes, and it differs from many other states in a few notable ways — particularly around security deposits and how fast the eviction process can move. Here's what a Florida lease should address.

Security deposits

Florida has no statewide cap on how much you can charge for a security deposit — it's left to the lease terms and market. Interest is only required if you choose to hold the deposit in an interest-bearing account, rather than being a blanket requirement. When a tenant moves out, you generally have 15 days to return the deposit if you're not making any claim against it, or 30 days to send written notice of a claim if you intend to withhold part of it.

Required disclosures

A Florida lease should include or accompany:

• • Federal lead-based paint disclosure (for pre-1978 buildings)
• • Radon gas disclosure — Florida specifically requires a radon notice in most residential leases
• • Fire protection disclosure for buildings over three stories, where applicable

Entry notice

Florida requires reasonable notice before entering a rental unit, generally treated as at least 12 hours' notice, except in emergencies. Spell out your entry notice practice in the lease so both sides have a clear, agreed-upon standard.

The eviction timeline moves fast

One of the most important things for a landlord to understand about Florida is how quickly a nonpayment eviction can proceed once filed — a Florida "3-day notice" for nonpayment counts business days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, and is notably fast compared to many other states. Getting the notice itself right (correct amount owed, correct deadline) matters because a defective notice can restart the clock.

Rent increases

For a month-to-month tenancy, Florida generally requires 30 days' notice before a rent increase takes effect, unless your lease or a local ordinance requires more. Fixed-term leases typically can't have rent increased mid-term unless the lease itself allows it.

The bottom line

Florida's lack of a deposit cap and its fast eviction timeline are two of the biggest differences from other states, and a generic lease template often doesn't reflect either one clearly. See LeasePilot HQ's full Florida landlord-tenant law summary for the complete breakdown with sources, or generate a lease with Florida-specific disclosures built in automatically.