The Responsibilities of a Tenant under Legal Lease Agreements
According to Florida state law, tenants have a number of responsibilities with regards to:
– providing landlords with rental payments
– taking care of the property they have been provided with
– observing health and safety codes
– and upholding the various terms of the leasing contract – such as continuing to pay the rent until the end of a written agreement.
Rent Payments and Security Deposits
Your first and foremost responsibility as a tenant is to provide the landlord with the amount of rent and security deposit you’ve agreed to pay in the lease agreement.
While the security deposit is a one-time payment, rent will have to be provided constantly and at the rate the landlord would require it.
Contracts can be made for supplying rental payments on a weekly, monthly or even quarterly basis. What’s more, extra payments may also be required in case you’ve failed to pay the rent in full at any one time.
Also, when you decide to leave, you cannot simply stop paying rent and relocate. Your actions have to be announced in a written notice addressed to the owner at least a week before the next payment is due.
The Duty of Maintaining the Property
Not many realize the fact that, as tenants, they are practically being given a property to care for. So, basically, if you want to keep from being evicted – but also to ensure that your living quality doesn’t drop below what you’d normally require from a property you’re paying for – you will need to comply with the following rules and responsibilities:
- You have to comply with all the obligations imposed by the housing, safety and health codes that apply to the building you live in;
- Keep the area of the property that you’re using clean and sanitary;
- Avoid destroying, damaging, abusing, removing or modifying any of the fixtures, furnishings or systems that are a part of the landlord’s property;
- Operate all facilities in a reasonable way to prevent damage – this includes anything from light switches and taps to elevators, air conditioning and household appliances;
- Make sure to keep all the plumbing fixtures clean and sanitized;
- Remove all garbage from your living space on a regular basis.
Defenses and Compliance
Even if you recognize and uphold your responsibilities as a tenant, things might not go smoothly, and in some cases, you will have to defend your rights and be thoroughly informed about what you can and cannot do for this purpose.
When a landlord accuses you of damaging his property, withholding rent or anything that may be a violation of your lease agreement, he could decide to take action in the form of eviction, the demand of further payment or the deduction of a certain amount from your security deposit.
Under these circumstances, however, you have the right to defend yourself by citing specific sections of the law or of the agreement that would void the landlord’s claim. Also, the landlord needs to provide you with a written notice and a valid reason why a claim or supposition was made.
The bottom line is that, as long as you follow tenant rules and responsibilities to the letter, the landlord cannot take any money from your security deposit, make you leave the property by force or take any other action against you. Otherwise, you can file a lawsuit, and you can be sure that Florida law will support your position.
Although, in some cases, you can’t avoid a conflict, these tips and guidelines on what to focus on should help you manage them more easily and ensure a favorable outcome.
