Florida Lease Agreement: What to Include

A Florida residential lease needs to reflect this state's actual rules on security deposits, entry notice, late fees, and required disclosures — not a generic template written for a different state. The figures below come from Florida's residential landlord-tenant statute; where the state sets no fixed number, that's stated plainly rather than glossed over, since "the state doesn't specify" is itself something you need to know.

Security deposit

Security deposit limit: No statewide statutory limit. Florida does not require interest on held deposits. Return deadline after move-out: 15 Days if no claim; 30 Days notice of claim.

Entry notice, late fees, and rent increases

Entry notice: 12 Hours. Late fees: No statewide fixed cap; should be reasonable and stated in lease; no statewide grace period requirement. Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies: 30 for month-to-month unless local/lease rules differ days. (Entry notice citation: Fla. Stat. § 83.53 (12 hours for repairs).)

Required disclosures

A Florida lease should include or accompany:

• • Federal lead-based paint
• • radon gas disclosure
• • fire protection disclosure for buildings over 3 stories where applicable

Eviction notice for nonpayment

For nonpayment of rent, Florida: 3 business days excluding weekends/legal holidays This is the minimum notice before you can move to the next step in the eviction process — actual court timelines run longer once a case is filed. (Eviction notice citation: Fla. Stat. § 83.56(3) (3 days).)

What actually distinguishes Florida

Florida sets no statewide statutory cap on the security deposit amount — the lease itself is what controls how much you can charge, so put the amount and any pet/move-in fees in writing.

Florida requires 12 hours notice before a landlord enters an occupied unit for routine, non-emergency purposes.

At 3 business days excluding weekends/legal holidays, Florida's notice period for nonpayment is on the short end nationally — landlords can move to the next step quickly, but that also means less room for a paperwork mistake to cost you time.

Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies in Florida is 30 for month-to-month unless local/lease rules differ days — different from the 30-day default most other states use, so don't assume the general rule applies here.

Sources and the bottom line

The figures above reflect Florida's residential landlord-tenant statute as summarized on LeasePilot HQ's Florida landlord-tenant law page, which lists the specific sources behind each number. Security deposit rules specifically are codified at Fla. Stat. § 83.49, with the return deadline set by Fla. Stat. § 83.49 (15 days no claim / 30 days with claim). Primary and cross-reference sources used in compiling this page:

• • https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/security-deposits
• • https://www.justia.com/real-estate/landlord-tenant/information-for-landlords/right-of-entry/
• • https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/state-landlord-tenant-laws

State landlord-tenant law changes through legislative sessions and court decisions — treat the numbers above as a starting point, verify against Florida's current statute (linked above) before relying on them for an actual lease, and see LeasePilot HQ's full Florida landlord-tenant law summary for the complete breakdown, or generate a lease with Florida-specific clauses built in automatically.