landlord tenant laws in FL, lease agreement

Dennis Andrew Chen

If your girlfriend signed the lease agreement then she will be bound by the terms. If the money was paid to the landlord it is still a valid lease if she signed in her name along with her signature for your name. The landlord may not be able to hold you to the terms of the lease but the money paid to the landlord as a security deposit will be subject to Chapter 83 procedure regarding security deposit. If the lease is found to be invalid you are still a tenant in the home and will be subject to the landlord-tenant statute. You should consult a landlord-tenant attorney to determine what defenses you may have? I am not aware of a 24 hours rescission period for leasing a home in Florida.

Ian C. White

I'm not aware of any 24-hour recission period in Florida for this type of tenancy either. If your girlfriend was going to be residing in the dwelling with you anyways, the landlord would of had her sign as a permitted occupant. Therefore, as it stands now, just your girlfriend is bound to the lease. But, if you live there with her (which I suspect was the goal) the landlord is going to request you come into their office to get your actual signature. At least that's how it should occur.

Even if you never sign the lease, but reside there, the landlord could have you evicted as an unauthorized occupant. So, the end result is to just go in and sign the lease if this is where you plan to live. If not, you will need to consult an attorney about trying to get your girlfriend out of the lease she signed for.